WSET 2 – Chardonnay – Steel & Wood
This practice box has been designed to help you better recognize and understand Chardonnay through winemaking choices. All wines are single-varietal Chardonnay , allowing you to practice exploring the aromas, flavors, and structure typical of this grape. The theme of this box is the difference between stainless steel and oak during winemaking. This makes it particularly suitable for students pursuing WSET Level 2 or SDIN. At the same time, it's an educational and delicious selection for any wine lover who wants to taste more consciously and learn to understand how style differences arise within a single grape.
Purpose and theme of this practice box
This box is all about developing your systematic tasting skills. You'll learn to think in terms of cause and effect: how does climate and the choice of stainless steel or oak influence a Chardonnay's aroma and taste? By comparing wines with distinct differences, you'll practice exactly what WSET Level 2 focuses on: recognizing styles and connecting them to origins and vinification. This way, your Chardonnay reference framework will grow in a single box.
How can you use this box
An effective way to practice is blind tasting with a tasting partner . First, describe the appearance, nose, and palate according to the SAT structure, and only then look at the label that corresponds to the wine. You can also deliberately taste the wines side by side , for example, first the steel-aged wine and then the oak-aged, so that the differences become clearer. Another useful exercise is to do two tasting rounds : first with prior knowledge and then again blind, to check whether your conclusion holds without a label. By always maintaining the same tasting order in your notes, comparisons become easier and more consistent.
Background information per wine
Butter & Wood Chardonnay Grande Reserve
Country: France.
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon.
Grape: Chardonnay.
Vinification: Maturation 9–12 months in oak barrels, partly using new barrels.
Montbiset Réserve Chardonnay Heritage
Country: France.
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon.
Grape: Chardonnay.
Vinification: wood aging, specific methods are not specified by the winemaker.
Masseria Li Veli Contrade Chardonnay
Country: Italy.
Region: Puglia.
Grape: Chardonnay.
Vinification: pneumatic pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation and maturation in stainless steel, without malolactic fermentation.
Woodhaven California Chardonnay
Country: United States.
Region: California.
Grape: Chardonnay.
Vinification: Temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, followed by a rest period before bottling.
Working with the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting
The WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT) is a standard method that teaches you to objectively evaluate wines by first describing what you see, smell, and taste, and then connecting this to origin, climate, and winemaking choices. SAT helps you organize observations and reach logical conclusions. In the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines, you'll learn to recognize important grape varieties like Chardonnay and understand the influence of factors like stainless steel or oak on aromas, flavor, and structure. This practice box directly addresses these learning objectives and helps you gradually become familiar with the method.
