RECIPES • ENTERTAINING • QUICK • HEALTHY • IN SEASON • HOW TO • WINE
    
Chardonnay: rich and complex white
Chardonnay
Annabelle Breakey

Swirl and taste: Green apple, pear, melon, creamy lemon, and sometimes pineapple, rounded out with butterscotch and vanilla.

Pair with:
• Sweet shellfish
• White-fleshed fish — halibut, black cod (sablefish), sturgeon, mahimahi, tilapia
• Chicken and turkey
• Pork
• Veal
• Legumes
• Winter squash
• Corn
• Nuts
• Risotto and pasta
• Cream and butter sauces
• Mild Caribbean dishes with tropical fruit flavors

Find your style: California winemakers have traditionally made Chardonnay in a rich, buttery style by fermenting and aging it in oak barrels. Too much oak can cover up the fruit, so some winemakers are starting to substitute stainless-steel tanks for a leaner, crisper style.

PERFECT RECIPE PAIRINGS

For oaked styles
•  Mendo Crab Cakes
•  Golden Squash with Sautéed shrimp
•  Caramelized Fall Fruit Salad with Chicken
•  Lemon-Oregano Chicken
•  Roast Hens with Golden Vegetable Hash


For unoaked styles
•  Chicken Fettuccine with Mushroom Brie
•  Dungeness Crab and Winter Citrus Salad
•  Mango-Shrimp Tostadas
•  Tequila-Marinated Chicken Fajitas
•  Caesar Salad with Fried Ginger

Our partner
Sunset Wine Club
Explore wines of the West with Sunset as your guide. Join the Sunset Wine Club and receive wine, tasting notes, and recipes delivered to your door!
Get the details
Published: September 2007