Without Ernest Wente's intervention, Americans' favorite wine grape variety would indeed be "anything but chardonnay." One hundred years ago, the Wente Vineyards vineyard manager brought cuttings of what is now known as the Wente Chardonnay grape clone from Montpellier, France, and planted them in California's Livermore Valley.
Breathe a sigh of relief, ladies who lunch: Thanks to Ernie, there's plenty of chard to go around. As of 2010, about 75 percent of the 95,000-plus acres of chardonnay under vine in California was Wente clone chardonnay.
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