Did Chardonnay ever go away and, if so, is it now making a comeback? If the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) crowd were merely trying to get us to try out a few other grape varieties, they have certainly succeeded. In turn the BTC (Back to Chardonnay) party, of which I am a paid-up member, was merely pointing out that Chardonnay produces some of the world’s greatest white and sparkling wines. I hope we can all agree that good Chardonnay is great and the bad stuff is awful and move on a little in the debate.

Talking to importers of New World wine I get the distinct impression Chardonnay never really went away; there is a large swathe of wine drinkers who have continued to buy it even if all of the noise was about Sauvignon Blanc. At the bargain-basement end there are plenty of sickly-sweet wines with very pumped-up, confected flavours, but at €10-€15 you can find plenty of well-made, crisp, dry and fruity Chardonnay from every part of the globe.

If you need convincing, try Aldi’s Lot 2 Chardonnay (€12.99) from Tasmania, a fresh crisp dry wine, made by Wakefield, one of the leading estates of Australia. The New World has learned that masses of new oak and rich buttery wines are not always what the public wants. If anything the criticism is that some have gone too far the other direction, offering us wines stripped of all flavour and character.

Today I concentrate on Australia and New Zealand, which have had very different relationships with Chardonnay. Both now appear to be making world-beating wines made from this variety. At one time Australian Chardonnay was big and brash; how times have changed. Now the best wines come from the cooler regions: the Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Valley, both near Melbourne, and Tasmania all produce some excellent wines as can the Adelaide Hills in South Australia and parts of Western Australia, the Margaret River in particular.

New Zealand has been hugely successful with Sauvignon Blanc, but we have seen precious little Chardonnay in Ireland. That may be about to change. New Zealand is making some excellent Chardonnay, often in regions responsible for the best Pinot Noir, such as Martinborough, Waipara and Central Otago, although Neudorf in Nelson and Kemeu River up north are two of the best.

The best Chardonnay I tasted on a visit to New Zealand earlier this year was the 2013 Ata Rangi Craighall Chardonnay. This will arrive in Ireland shortly. A close second was a Puligny-like Felton Road 2013. James Nicholson has something of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Chardonnay; they are waiting for their allocation of Felton Road Chardonnay, but in the meantime customers can try the excellent Neudorf from Nelson and the Dog Point from Marlborough. I would also love to see Pegasus Bay return; they make some fantastic Chardonnay

What should you look for in a top Chardonnay? The best are nuanced yet sumptuous wines, medium-bodied with a lightly creamy texture, possibly with a hint of spicy oak, but never to the exclusion of fruits – green apple in cool climates moving through to pears and then peaches in warmer regions. Chardonnay coats the entire mouth with flavour. The three wines selected this week are all expensive. But then their equivalents from Burgundy would certainly match them for price, if not make them look reasonable.

I know some wine drinkers are reluctant to spend money on white wine, possibly because they see it as something to sip with a starter before moving on to the main course. I tend to save my best white wines, usually a Chardonnay or Riesling, for those times when I am cooking really good fish or chicken as a main course – black sole drenched in butter, turbot, and of course salmon paired with a top-notch Chardonnay will turn dinner into a real feast.

Ireland’s craft brewers received a deserved boost from the Minister for Finance a few years back when he granted them a 50 per cent rebate on excise duty. This allows smaller brewers to compete with the larger producers on a relatively even playing field. The results speak for themselves; the number of small craft breweries has shot up. However, our craft cider producers are currently excluded from this, and are therefore at a huge disadvantage to other similar drinks. Real cider is, like wine, fermented rather than brewed, and therein lies the problem.

Under EU law, the minister cannot simply lower the duty on fermented products. However cider is taxed in two bands, over 2.8 per cent alcohol and over 6 per cent alcohol. The Government could lower the current (extortionate) higher rate of duty; at the moment in a good vintage, such as 2014, a cider will ferment naturally to about 7 per cent. I would have thought this group was even more deserving than our craft brewers.

This is exactly the kind of business the Government should be helping; they are rurally based, use locally grown produce (genuine cider is made from 100 per cent Irish apples) and can substitute their cider for imported products. They may rescue many of our orchards with their unique stock of heritage apples. Let us hope the minister extends the lower duty rate in his next budget. In addition to this, while restaurants are permitted to serve bottled beer to those eating a meal, only those with a full on-licence can offer cider. Again it appears we are discriminating against our indigenous producers. Surely this too should be changed.

Changing tack, if you are getting married this summer, why not serve something Irish alongside, or instead of wine? Three of the more enterprising Irish producers now offer their ciders in very smart-looking 75cl bottles, perfectly suited for larger events. Throw in a few Irish beers and some genuine local apple juice for those not drinking alcohol, and you have a thoroughly Irish occasion. You could even finish off the evening by offering a glass of the excellent Longueville House apple brandy as well as whiskey.

James O’Donoghue of Longways produces an elderflower frizzante cider with summer celebrations in mind. James had been supplying a very large local cider producer with apples for 18 years before starting up his own cider-making business. His partner is John Maher, who worked as product development manager with C&C. Their aim, says James, was “to give it a taste profile similar to that of white wine”. They couldn’t get the flavours they were looking for from pure cider, but came across a locally produced elderflower extract. This was added to the cider once fermentation had finished. “It was quite amazing the change it brought to the product,” according to James. Craigies and Cockagee have been featured here before.

Angus Craigie and Simon Tyrrell started with the more traditionally styled Ballyhook Flyer, which has won many fans among more seasoned cider drinkers. The Dalliance is made in a very different style, lighter and fresher; the latest vintage is the best so far.

Mark Jenkinson has been producing his wonderful unique Cockagee for a few years, using traditional varieties grown in Meath. This keeved cider is naturally carbonated, unfiltered with a natural sweetness. I frequently enjoy cider with food but any of these three would make a very different and enjoyable drink to have at your wedding. Two craft cider producers also make other apple-based products. David Llewellyn makes a cider vinegar and an excellent balsamic cider vinegar, in addition of course to Irish wine – the current 2013 vintage is his best yet. Con Traas of The Apple Farm, who makes some of the best apple-based soft drinks, has a beautifully presented living culture Irish Cider Vinegar that tastes amazing.