Chardonnay: taste, styles and the dishes that match
70 styles and 592 dish scores from our sommelier database
Chardonnay belongs to the grapes every wine lover meets sooner or later. This guide lays out what defines the grape, which styles exist and — based on our sommelier scoring — which dishes it performs best with, Fried seawolf with red paprika sauce leading the list.
Taste profile (Wine DNA)
Averaged across the styles in our database, Chardonnay shows pronounced freshness, is medium-bodied and clearly fruity, with barely any tannin.
Well-known Chardonnay styles
- Chardonnay-Viognier · World — medium-bodied, soft acidity
Jong drinken. - Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc · New World — medium-bodied, pronounced freshness
Een droge witte wijn die een blend is van chardonnay en sauvignon blanc. - Chardonnay blends · Southern Europe — medium-bodied, pronounced freshness
Entry level dry white wines that are a blend of chardonnay and usually local grape varieties. - Chardonnay · California — medium-bodied, fresh acidity, subtle oak notes
An easy drinking Chardonnay from California, aged in wood. - Unoaked Chardonnay · California — medium-bodied, pronounced freshness
Fresh but fuller bodied white wine from the chardonnay, without ageing on oak. - Chardonnay New World oak aged · New World — medium-bodied, fresh acidity, subtle oak notes
An easy drinking Chardonnay from the New World, aged in wood. - Chardonnay · New World — medium-bodied, pronounced freshness
Fresh and fairly full bodied white wine from the New World and from the chardonnay grape variety, handled in stainless steel to maintain freshness. - Chardonnay Oregon & Washington · Oregon & Washington — medium-bodied, fresh acidity, subtle oak notes
Entry levels of easy drinking, wood aged chardonnay from the very cool northwestern states of the USA.
Price-wise Chardonnay covers the full range: of the 70 styles in our database, 56% sit in the entry segment, 34% mid-range and 10% at the top end. You will find both a weekday bottle and a cellar-worthy wine in this grape.
The best-scoring dishes with Chardonnay
The dishes below come from our expert scoring: every combination was scored by sommeliers using the Wine DNA of both dish and wine. These are the strongest matches for Chardonnay styles, from classic to surprising.
- Fried seawolf with red paprika sauce — best style: Chardonnay
- Grilled Victoria perch — best style: Chardonnay
- Fried grey mullet and mussels — best style: Chardonnay
- Squid stew in poultry stock — best style: Chardonnay
- Grilled lobster with red paprika butter — best style: Chardonnay
- Fried chicken fillet with cream sauce — best style: Macon
- Grilled Turbot with mushrooms — best style: Corton Charlemagne
- Fried lobster with lobster risotto — best style: Corton Charlemagne
- Poached lobster — best style: Côte de Beaune
- Fried scallops with celeriac puree — best style: Puligny-Montrachet
- Gamba's with herbs with white asparagus and lobster gravy — best style: Côte de Beaune
- Fried Scallop, Beurre blanc, Fresh Truffle, Boiled Roseval potatoes — best style: Puligny-Montrachet
Want to know if a specific bottle of Chardonnay matches your dish? Scan the label in the SommelierX app and see the match instantly.
Open the app →Frequently asked questions
- What does Chardonnay taste like?
- Averaged across the styles in our database, Chardonnay shows pronounced freshness, is medium-bodied and clearly fruity, with barely any tannin. It varies by style: see the overview above.
- What food goes with Chardonnay?
- The highest scores in our sommelier work: Fried seawolf with red paprika sauce, Grilled Victoria perch, Fried grey mullet and mussels. The full list is above.
- Is Chardonnay a white wine?
- In our database Chardonnay is mostly made as a white wine (70 linked styles); regional exceptions exist.