It is easy to say that the world already has enough Chardonnay. Name nearly any winegrowing region, and some producer there probably has at least a row of the variety. After all, it is believed to now be the world’s most planted white-wine grape, recently surpassing Airén, though official global accounts have yet to reflect this development. (Global records from the 2010s showed Airén barely ahead, with its hectarage shrinking and that of Chardonnay, the runner-up, growing.)

But if I could add two more countries to the list of great producers of Chardonnay, I would point your attention toward Germany and Austria. Top German and Austrian winegrowers are proving why so many fell in love with the variety in the first place. The best examples today—wines of quality, complexity, and place—have earned their spot on the table alongside their global analogs, French and beyond.

The aim of making great wines in Germany to perform at the level of Burgundy is not a new story. German Spätburgunder’s rise as a top Pinot Noir category is well documented. But Chardonnay’s ascent has been a quieter development. Germany and Austria approach Chardonnay with very different histories, the former extremely recent, the latter centuries old. Collectively, the two countries demonstrate the tremendous potential for Chardonnay in central Europe, in vineyards near the margins of Chardonnay’s territory.

Chardonnay was only just registered as an authorized variety by Germany’s Bundessortenamt (Federal Plant Variety Office) in 1991. Most Chardonnay vineyards in Germany are less than 30 years old, though some trial vineyards were planted earlier. Among these early participants was Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz, in the Pfalz region, in 1988 and Weingut Keller, in the Rheinhessen region.

Felix Keller, who works at his family’s estate, Weingut Keller, says, “My grandfather [Klaus] planted Chardonnay with the