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A Wine Lover’s Guide to Enjoying Chardonnay
Chardonnay is one of the most exquisitely flavored and expensive white wines in the world — and well worth it.
May 22, 2025
Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, accounting for 10% of all vineyards. It is known for producing some of the world's most exquisitely flavored and expensive white wines.
Where does chardonnay come from?
Best known for its stunning whites of Burgundy and throughout France, and as the quintessential white wine from California's Napa Valley (grapes were planted there as early as the 1880s), the chardonnay grape also thrives in other countries around the world, including Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. France is the largest producer, followed by the United States and Australia.
What does chardonnay taste like?
The flavor characteristics of chardonnay can vary depending on where it's grown and what techniques and choices the winemaker employs during production. For instance, an unoaked one from Chablis, in the northern part of Burgundy, will taste like crisp green apples and underripe pear, with tart hints of citrus and lemon zest. Conversely, a typical bottle from Napa Valley will feature more ripe flavors, such as golden apple and baked pear with hints of Meyer lemon, and, of course, the buttery vanilla flavors associated with oak aging. Wines from Oregon tend to fall in the middle.
A good rule of thumb is that chardonnay from cooler climates tends to have more crisp, citrusy flavor characteristics, whereas warmer climates produce riper, fuller-bodied wines usually aged in oak.
What foods pair well with chardonnay?
When it comes to food pairings, chardonnay is a versatile grape. Its diversity of styles allows it to pair with an equally diverse variety of dishes. The crisp acidity in cooler climate chardonnays makes it a great match for a classic steakhouse raw bar and chilled seafood, such as mussels, shrimp, crab, and lobster. Alternately, warm climate, more full-bodied wines are well suited to pair with flaky, richly textured seafood, such as Chilean seabass, halibut, and scallops.
Oaky chardonnays also pair well with savory dishes that involve pie crusts or puff pastry. Think chicken pot pie, beef or chicken Wellington, and just about any classic assorted appetizer that is wrapped in phyllo or en croute.
Two of the best food pairings with chardonnay are a simply steamed or grilled lobster with a side of melted, salted butter, and an herb roasted or smoked whole chicken with your favorite style of potatoes on the side. Chardonnay and lobster are a near-perfect match, each possessing similar flavors and textures that, when combining them, creates an explosion of sweet and salty, chewy, buttery awesomeness. Paired with the chicken, this wine adds another few layers of complexity to the subtle but delicious foundation of flavors, taking this simple, classic dish to another level with only the pop of a cork.
Harry & David Chardonnay
The 2021 Chardonnay from Harry & David won the silver medal at the 2022 Oregon Wine Awards. Lucky for you, you don't have to travel to the Pacific Northwest (though we highly recommend it) to enjoy a glass of this award-winning wine. Here are our favorite chardonnay gifts.
Guide to Wine
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AUTHOR
David A. Cohen left his former life as a publicist and literary agent to pursue his passion for wine, food, and travel. He is a Level 2 Certified Sommelier and a graduate of the International Culinary Center Intensive Sommelier Training course, and maybe a little too obsessed with wine and food pairing.
