The chardonnay grape does not lack renown. It is the second most popular grape on the planet, in terms of acreage devoted to it. It not only grows virtually everywhere, it thrives, producing many of the world's best wines. What's its secret?

Before considering that question, it would be remiss not to note what wine grape tops chardonnay in acreage planted. That's right, airén. Okay, maybe you were expecting something else. Airén grows in Spain and basically nowhere else. It is a workhorse (obviously) of no particular distinction.

The same could almost be said of chardonnay. In terms of flavor, chardonnay stands rather neutral. In the way that coffee derives much of its flavor from the roast, so chardonnay gains its distinction by how it was grown and vinified. Specific mineral qualities of the vineyard come through with chardonnay more than other wine grapes. Flavors derived from oak barrels greatly expand chardonnay's flavor spectrum. And malo-lactic fermentation (not really a fermentation but a conversion) adds chardonnay's familiar buttery quality.

Basically, then, the chardonnay grape allows vintners a spectrum of choices: from light and crisp to rich and buttery, What's your pleasure?

At one time, the grape was called pinot chardonnay, under the belief that it was related to its august colleague in both Burgundy and Champagne, pinot noir. Here we enter the murky field of ampelography, which concerns the identification and classification of grape vines. Through DNA testing, we know now that chardonnay is a cross between gouais blanc and a member of the pinot family, possibly pinot noir. Grapes mutate readily,which keeps ampelographers busy but makes definitive statements difficult.

In medieval times, pinot noir and pinot gris held the highest esteem as wine grapes. The nobility drank the wines from these choice varieties. The thin, acidic wines of gouais blanc were what the peasantry drank. Now no one drinks gouais blanc: phylloxera pretty much eradicated it from vineyards. Its illustrious offspring survives and thrives.

Chardonnay grows in virtually every wine producing region. Wente Vineyards introduced the clone that began California's interest in chardonnay. The famous tasting in 1976, pitting American wines against French ones, stunningly established that world class chardonnay (and cabernet sauvignon) could be produced outside of France. Chateau Montelena's chardonnay scored top honors against Burgundies from such producers as Leflaive, Drouhin, and Roulot. Chardonnay's popularity soared.

The following wines illustrate chardonnay's world-trotting success and its vast range of styles, from light and fruity to crisp and flinty to big and buttery.

Crane Lake, $4.49 (California)

Yellow Tail, 7.99 (Australia)

Excelsior, $9.99 (South Africa)

Sterling Vintner's Collection, $10.99 (California)

Chateau Ste Michelle, $13.99 (Washington)

Catena, $17.99 (Argentina)

Wente Vineyards, $19.99 (California)

Drouhin Chablis Moulin de Vaudon, $24.99 (France)

Kistler, $59.99 (California)