Are you a member of the ABC club?

It's a growing group that will sip on Anything But Chardonnay, because they've been led to believe that Chards always pick up vanilla, buttery, oaky flavors -- and even sometimes smoky notes -- from being aged in oak barrels.

But in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Chardonnays are hardly ever aged in oak barrels, spending a wee bit of time instead in either older barrels or stainless steel fermentation tanks, neither of which imparts flavor. The difference produces a wine that is clean and crisp with a lot more fruit-forward flavors.

Unoaked Chardonnays, as they are called, are considered an innovation here in the States. Until recently, it was hard to find more than a handful of domestic versions. But more vintners are trying their hand at them -- and with stunning results.

Because of the crisp, clean flavors -- thanks to more acidity in the wine -- these unoaked Chards are a much better match with a wider variety of food than the lavishly oaked Chardonnays. Try them with steamed mussels (a little in the steaming broth would be lovely, too), poultry, baked ham and grilled fish.

How do you know whether the bottle you are buying is an unoaked Chard? They're still unusual enough that most vintners will say on the label if it's unoaked. So that's the easy part. And because winemakers don't have to use costly wooden barrels to age or ferment the wine, most unoaked Chardonnays are easy on the wallet -- many priced at $10-$15 a bottle.

Here are a few to get you started:

• 2007 Chehalem Winery INOX Chardonnay -- From the Willamette Valley of Oregon, INOX is the abbreviation of the French word for stainless steel, inoxydable.
• 2007 Evesham Wood Willamette Valley Chardonnay -- Another good example from Oregon.
• 2007 Wishing Tree Unoaked Chardonnay, Australia -- A crisp, bright white from Down Under.

With hot summer weather just around the corner, now's the perfect time to explore unoaked Chardonnays -- and turn in your ABC club membership car