The best food to pair with Chardonnay

If you’re looking for food pairings for chardonnay, you’re in luck! Whatever the style it’s a fantastic food wine. Which makes it all the more remarkable that many people still say they don’t like chardonnay. 

I always think saying you’re bored with chardonnay is a bit like saying you’re bored with chicken. There are so many different styles including some of the world’s greatest white wines.

The key to pairing chardonnay is appreciating that it’s not just one wine - it depends where it’s made, whether or not it’s oaked and how mature it is when you drink it. I’m sharing my favourite food pairings for every style of Chardonnay—whether you’re sipping a steely Chablis, a rich Californian, or something in between. We’ll dive into the best dishes to bring out the vibrant fruit, balance the acidity, and complement those creamy textures. Here are some food pairings to suit different styles:

Top food pairings for four different styles of chardonnay

• Young, unoaked, cool climate chardonnay
  
  
  Such as: The classic and most austere example of this is Chablis but other young white burgundies would fall into this category.
  Good matches:
• They’re perfect with light and delicate food such as raw and lightly cooked shellfish like crab and prawns and steamed or grilled fish. 
• If you want to serve chardonnay with appetizers think fish pâtés, fish, chicken or vegetable terrines.
• This style also goes well with pasta or risotto with spring vegetables and creamy vegetable soups.
• Finer, more intense examples such as Puligny-Montrachet can take on raw fish such as sashimi or delicately spiced fish or salads.
• Chablis is particularly good with oysters.

For more suggestions see this post on pairing food and Chablis

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