First, know your Chardonnay
Chardonnay can taste completely different depending on where it grows and how it is made. Cool-climate, unoaked styles such as Chablis are lean, with green apple, lemon and a mineral, saline freshness. Warmer climates give riper notes of peach, pineapple and melon.
Oak aging and malolactic fermentation add a richer layer: butter, vanilla, toast, hazelnut and a creamy texture. The golden rule of pairing: light wine with light food, rich wine with rich food.
Crisp, unoaked Chardonnay
Think of Chablis or a fresh Mâcon. Their acidity loves seafood: oysters, mussels, grilled white fish, shrimp and crab. They are great with goat cheese, salads with a light vinaigrette and sushi.
A Scandinavian classic works beautifully too: Toast Skagen, shrimp in a creamy dill and lemon dressing on buttery toast. The wine’s freshness cuts through the mayonnaise and lifts the shellfish.
Rich, oaked Chardonnay
Full-bodied Chardonnay from Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, California or Australia needs dishes with weight and creaminess. Lobster with butter is the classic, followed by roast chicken, turkey, pork with a cream sauce, scallops, risotto, creamy pasta and dishes with mushrooms.
Butter and cream in the dish mirror the buttery notes of the wine, while gentle browning, roasting and grilling echo the toast from the barrel.
What to avoid
Very spicy dishes make the alcohol in a rich Chardonnay feel hot, and strong vinegar or raw tomato can make the wine taste flat. Red meat and heavy tomato sauces usually overpower it. If a dish is tricky, choose the fresher, unoaked style.
Watch the Chardonnay cook-off
In Two Swedish Somms Cooking for Wine, champion sommeliers Andreas Larsson and Fredrik Lindfors each bring their favorite Chardonnays, cook three wine and food pairings, and let the crew pick the winner. Can Fredrik’s unmistakably Swedish Toast Skagen beat Andreas’ vanilla-butter poached lobster? Watch the full episode for free and cook along.
Watch the episode · 26 min
Two Swedish Somms Cooking for Wine: Chardonnay
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Watch it freeFrequently asked questions
What cheese goes with Chardonnay?
Fresh goat cheese with unoaked Chardonnay; creamy cheeses such as Brie, Comté or aged Gouda with richer, oaked Chardonnay.
Does Chardonnay go with chicken?
Yes. Roast chicken with a richer Chardonnay is a classic, especially with butter, mushrooms or a cream sauce.
Is Chardonnay good with fish?
Very. Choose a crisp, unoaked Chardonnay for oysters and light white fish, and an oaked Chardonnay for lobster, scallops or fish in a butter sauce.