Chardonnay Pairing

Looking for a full-bodied, white wine that ranges from fresh, citrus flavors to vanilla and butterscotch? Try the widely popular Chardonnay!

Chardonnay is a vastly grown, white grape that originates from Burgundy, France. Burgundy continues to make excellent Chardonnay wines, but other regions such as South Africa, Australia and California are definitely worth a try.

When trying to pair Chardonnay, consider the general climate of the region it's from and how it was aged. With Chardonnay being as versatile as it is, it picks up flavors based on these methods.

Aging

Oaked chardonnay is aged in, you guessed it, oak barrels! This aging process gives the wine more of a full body structure and buttery, toasty and nutty characteristics.

An unoaked Chardonnay will have more of a lighter, crisper structure with citrus and earth/mineral flavors. These tend to be aged in steel tanks instead.

Climate

Chardonnay from warmer climates will give you more ripe fruit flavors rather than lighter, citrus flavors from cooler climates.

Let's try the Mer Soliel Reserve Oaked Chardonnay produced in Monterey, California. This is a moderately priced wine around $20 per bottle. The smell reminded me of lemons, light tropical fruit, and honey. The palate had additional flavors of vanilla and oak. This particular wine is aged in French oak barrels for just under a year.

I paired this wine with:

-Pan-seared mahi-mahi and a side of simplified beurre blanc

-Whipped mashed potatoes with tarragon and a side of corn

A meaty fish like mahi-mahi or tuna pairs well with a fuller-bodied white wine. Since this wine was oaked, the buttery notes go well with any creamy, nutty or buttery dish.

It's fair to say that Chardonnay pairs best with similar mild flavors rather than contrasting flavors like spice, acid or bitterness. To use some lemon is fine if it brings out the flavor of your fish or sauce but I wouldn't recommend sides such as raw tomatoes or brussel sprouts because the wine will taste a bit sour and off.

I love the slightest touch of tarragon with creamy mashed potatoes when the mood calls for it. A vegetable like corn highlights the creamy attributes of the wine.

Other dishes to try include lobster, chicken, shellfish like crab legs with a dipping butter sauce or a creamy pasta such as risotto. Harvest vegetables also like squash, pumpkin and potatoes. Maybe even buttered popcorn would be worth a try if you want to sit down and watch a movie with some wine!

What I found was that the less oaked the wine is, the more versatile you can get with flavors that typically pair with more acidic, citrus white wines such as clams or sushi. Likewise, the more oak, the richer the wine is so the more flavorful the food should be.

Enjoy! Let me know in the comment section what different pairings or wine producers you've tried.