MODERN science has enabled wine producers to make great leaps in the art of wine-making. There is, however, nothing that can replace the taste of naturally ripe fruit.

You can add sugar and cream to a bowl full of slightly hard, under-ripe strawberries and you can still tell that they are not ripe. Sure, the sugar and the cream help to make the dish enjoyable but the acidity is still over the top.

The skill in the wine cellar counts for very little if the fruit is not ripe. This is the great balancing act that all wine-growers perform each year. In warm climates, grapes will ripen easily but will lose acidity rapidly after an optimum peak. Refractometers and the like are used these days by warm weather wine growers to try to hit the bullseye when it comes to the balance in the grape between natural grape sugars and acidity.

The great difficulty in such zones is that the peak may be very short-lived. The problem in cooler regions is achieving sufficient ripeness before the sun disappears altogether or the rains come in autumn. The further north you go, the more difficult it is to guarantee sufficient sunshine hours to fully ripen the grapes.

The secret in such cool marginal zones is that in a good vintage, when the balance is achieved, the length of the ripening process ensures greater complexity and finesse as the sugar level slowly creeps up to meet the natural malic acidity in the grape.

In Champagne, the grapes rarely ripen sufficiently to make good table wine. Ideal for fizz but a bit sharp for a glass with your meal except in wonderful years. Further south in the natural sun trap that is the Cote D'Or of Burgundy the grapes ripen more frequently and to a greater extent. The latitude, however , seems to combine the best of both worlds, in a good vintage.

In between Champagne and the Cote D'Or lies Chablis. In fact, Chablis is nearer Champagne to the north. The nature of the climate here makes the balancing act very difficult. It is for this reason and the frequent danger of hail that Chablis has through history been renowned for slightly acidic wines that make the perfect partner for oysters.

This is a natural combination as the Kimmeridgian Limestone on which the best Chablis vines are planted consist of millions of compacted molluscs from eons ago. This Limestone also adds to the natural acidity of the wines.

In modern times the wine-makers of Chablis have mastered the art of modern vinification which assists them in controlling the acidity of their wines. These days we see less of the green, light sharp wines that were common only fifteen years ago.

There is a range of methods used to tone down the aggressive nature that Chablis can portray. Picking at the optimum sugar levels helps a great deal, as does Malo-lactic Fermentation, not uniformly carried out. Some Domaines age in oak barrels to soften up their wines.

Sainsbury's has a brace of excellent Chablis wines. The Domaine Ste Celine 1996 (£7.45) has a creamy, lemon peel nose with a hint of the bloom on a fresh piece of Brie. On the palate it is full and relatively soft with a creamy spicy edge. Try it with any fish, or even a piece of Brie.

Sainsbury's also stocks the very serious Grand Cru Les Clos 1995 (£18.95.) The nose is still tight knit with subtle hints of lemon zest and ripe fruit. On the palate this is a very fine, elegant wine with plenty of lively, juicy fruit that lingers and lingers. This one cries out for oysters at Christmas time.

Majestic has the vibrant Chablis Vielles Vignes 1997 from Domaine Laroche (£7.99). This beauty is from one of the best Chablis producers. Laroche are at the forefront of experimentation while having a deep appreciation for the past and the traditional style of Chablis.

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