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, Avocado with prawns 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
- Chablis & Chablis Premier Cru · Burgundy — medium-bodied, pronounced freshness, lightly mineral
Bone-dry, mineral white Burgundy from 100% Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian limestone soils, with crisp green apple, citrus and flint. - Meursault & Puligny-Montrachet · Burgundy — full-bodied, fresh acidity, subtle oak notes
Classic Côte de Beaune white Burgundy from Chardonnay, combining ripe stone fruit, hazelnut, creamy texture and refined oak ageing. - 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. - Chardonnay-Viognier · World — medium-bodied, soft acidity
Jong drinken.
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.
- Avocado with prawns — best style: Chardonnay California
- Prawn cocktail — best style: Chardonnay California
- Grey shrimps croquette — best style: Chardonnay California
- Fried cod bites — best style: Chardonnay California
- Chicken marsala — best style: Chardonnay Southern Europe
- Green curry — best style: Chardonnay Southern Europe
- Salmon curry — best style: Chardonnay California
- Brandade de morue — best style: Chardonnay California
- Jerk chicken — best style: Chardonnay California
- Koulibiac — best style: Chardonnay Southern Europe
- Abondance — best style: Chardonnay Southern Europe
- Appetizers — best style: Chardonnay Southern Europe
Want to know if a specific bottle of Chardonnay matches your dish? Scan the label in the SommelierX app and see the match instantly.
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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: Avocado with prawns, 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.