Our personal Chardonnay Food Suggestions
Chardonnay is a versatile grape variety that pairs with a wide range of foods, from delicate seafood dishes to heavier poultry. The key when it comes to Chardonnay food paring is to know what style of Chardonnay you are having.
Even the serving temperature varies depending on the style.
- Unoaked Chardonnay best served at 7-10°C
- Oaked Chardonnay is best served at 9-13°C
- Sparkling Chardonnay is best served at 5-9°C
- Late harvest Chardonnay is best served at 9-13°C
Picnic finger food recommendations:
You’ll find that unoaked and oaked bottles of Chardonnay are going to taste drastically different and will lead to some confusion when pairing the wines with food. If you’re looking at an unoaked chardonnay, then something like a brie or a goat cheese will be your best options. If the chardonnay was heavily oaked then you’ll want to choose bolder cheeses like bleu cheese, English hard cheddar, or Camembert. The right White Wine Glass, filled with unoaked Chardonnay is a good choice for sashimi. Raw seafood tends to have delicate flavors that are easily overwhelmed, so you’re going to need a subtle wine for pairing which is why the creaminess of the chardonnay is a nice contrast.
Chardonnay goes well with those table served Meals:
for unoaked Chardonnay:
- Shellfish - oysters, clams, mussels, shrimps… Fresh seafood dishes can’t go wrong with a bottle of unoaked Chardonnay.
- Light fish dishes, such as boiled or seared white fish with rice or vegetables.
- Sushi - Chablis and other unoaked Chardonnays are excellent choices for sushi.
- Vegetables & salads - chicken salad is a great pairing!
- Cheeses - Soft and creamy cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Mozzarella and Ricotta.
- Charcuterie board - olives, different cured meats & cheeses
- Shellfish pasta
- Moules marinières
for oaked Chardonnay:
- Heavier seafood dishes - lobster with butter, crab, seared scallops etc.
- Chicken in different ways - butter chicken, grilled chicken, chicken with cream sauce…
- Grilled salmon
- Fish - fried in butter or with cream sauce
- Risotto with seafood
- Paella - a creamy, rich Chardonnay stands up to the bold flavours of Paella
- Creamy pasta
- Cream soups
- Cheese - semi-soft aged cheeses from the Alpes, such as Gruyère, Emmental and Comté. This type of cheese usually has nutty flavors that pair well with the creaminess of the oak aromas in the wine. Soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie are also good pairings.