Chardonnay - why so hard to pair with food?

[Markus_S]

C’mon folks this is no fun at all.

Where are all the ABC peeps? Where are my hipster Somms? I feel like Adam in the “dry” Riesling thread.

Surely there must be others who find Chardonnay “generally” boring with food vis a vis other white varieties.

Seriously, thanks for input and I’m glad you guys don’t suffer the same syndrome.

Well, if you read into my comment (just above) you’ll see where I say I don’t drink it all that much. So you can see that not everybody is on board here.

[Ken_Strauss]

Chardonnay every day is a winner for me.
Try simple scallops. Salt,pepper,garlic and olive oil seared.
Delicious with Chardonnay.

[Scott_Brunson]

Hard to agree with OP at all, many of my best ever pairings were with white Burgundy. While almost all of them were at good restaurants the reason the pairings rocked were really because of few key ingredients/elements. At home I really enjoy among others the following dishes with moderately oaked Burgundy: mushroom risottos, pasta dishes with cream and/or mushrooms, scallops pan fried with butter, grilled chicken, chicken with creamy sauce (ideally with sherry in it). Preferences are preferences but I don’t think a balanced Chardonnay’s food friendliness can be denied. Chablis of course simply rules with many of the fish we have here when simply cooked, such as arctic char, perch and pike perch. Other wines can be as good but would I prefer any of them over Chablis? Not really.

+1

I find a good, balanced Chardonnay with fresh acidity and modest to no obvious oak influence to be some of the most versatile food wines.

+2
1er Cru Chablis and oysters (just one example)

[ChrisJames]

Hard to agree with OP at all, many of my best ever pairings were with white Burgundy. While almost all of them were at good restaurants the reason the pairings rocked were really because of few key ingredients/elements. At home I really enjoy among others the following dishes with moderately oaked Burgundy: mushroom risottos, pasta dishes with cream and/or mushrooms, scallops pan fried with butter, grilled chicken, chicken with creamy sauce (ideally with sherry in it). Preferences are preferences but I don’t think a balanced Chardonnay’s food friendliness can be denied. Chablis of course simply rules with many of the fish we have here when simply cooked, such as arctic char, perch and pike perch. Other wines can be as good but would I prefer any of them over Chablis? Not really.

+1

I find a good, balanced Chardonnay with fresh acidity and modest to no obvious oak influence to be some of the most versatile food wines.

+2
1er Cru Chablis and oysters (just one example)

+3
We drink mostly Oregon Chardonnay rather than White Burgs, but really only those that are high acid and minimal/no oak influence (i.e. Goodfellow). It is increasingly our standard dinner wine. Beyond chicken, it is fantastic with rabbit and quail (neither of which taste like chicken), lamb, and even venison - which is to say, both lean and fatty meats. We also love it with all types of roasted root vegetables and brussel sprouts. And it holds up very well to rosemary and garlic, one of our favorite seasoning combinations. So rather than finding it a difficult wine to pair, we find it pairs well with almost everything we like to eat.

[Jay_Miller]

I don’t drink much chardonnay, but assuming (and this is a very important assumption) it isn’t a very oaky version I don’t find it very hard to pair.

Chicken and mushrooms were the first things to come to mind.

The suggestion of pork certainly works but since I consider it an act of vinous treason to open anything other than riesling to match with pork it must, alas, be dismissed out of hand.

[Jeff_M1]

Almost always seafood, king crab, halibut, etc. I will have to try some chicken paired with chardonnay after reading some of the other comments.

[Thomas_Keim]

I drink a lot of un-oaked Macon, and I find them pretty versatile with chicken dishes, smoked salmon and shellfish.

[PeterH]

The OP question is why we drink so little Chardonnay these days. I agree it goes with creamy and buttery dishes, but we have cut way back on cream and butter. It can go with roast chicken, but we prefer a red. It can go with mushrooms, but we prefer Nebbiolo. I’d rather have any of dozens of other white wines with white fleshed fish and shellfish.

We do have Chablis with crab, and Chardonnay with mild curries, or grilled chicken breasts.

I’m leaving out Blanc de Blancs, which is a different category.

[Vincent_Fritzsche]

The suggestion of pork certainly works but since I consider it an act of vinous treason to open anything other than riesling to match with pork it must, alas, be dismissed out of hand.

Hahaha amazing and true.

[Yao_C]

Surely there must be others who find Chardonnay “generally” boring with food vis a vis other white varieties.

Seriously, thanks for input and I’m glad you guys don’t suffer the same syndrome.

I do agree with you! I rarely get pairing fireworks with Chardonnay, but appreciate its versatility. It’s often my choice for tasting menus and big wine dinners where there might be lots of different kinds of food on the table

[ToddFrench]

Tried chard with beef stew (cooked long and slow) based on someone’s recommendation, can’t remember who, and was pleasantly surprised it really worked. Chard also seems to go with other umami rich dishes like sauteed mushrooms. Sounds wierd I know. For great white Burg, however, it’s got to be a great prep of mild white fish and a subtle sauce.

Suzanne Camhi?

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

C’mon folks this is no fun at all.

Where are all the ABC peeps? Where are my hipster Somms? I feel like Adam in the “dry” Riesling thread.

Surely there must be others who find Chardonnay “generally” boring with food vis a vis other white varieties.

Seriously, thanks for input and I’m glad you guys don’t suffer the same syndrome.

Many Anything But California folks are thrilled with Chablis, Corton Charlemagne, Puligny Montrachet, Meursault which have given me my most exciting wine/food pairings. Perhaps Ravenneau Chablis (Monte de Tonnere) and Dover Sole is the most standout, had it several times in Paris at Le Dome over the years. And if they oysters are good, Chablis is a must for me.

[Rory_K]

When I think about all the foods Chardonnay can pair with (in its many forms), I also realize there is usually another white I would prefer. Chardonnay is never my first choice pairing if I’m going off of the food alone. So when I drink Chardonnay it’s because I want that wine, not because it’s the best pairing, though I think it is versatile.

[Sean_S_y_d_n_e_y]

C’mon folks this is no fun at all.

Where are all the ABC peeps? Where are my hipster Somms? I feel like Adam in the “dry” Riesling thread.

Surely there must be others who find Chardonnay “generally” boring with food vis a vis other white varieties.

Seriously, thanks for input and I’m glad you guys don’t suffer the same syndrome.

Many Anything But California folks are thrilled with Chablis, Corton Charlemagne, Puligny Montrachet, Meursault which have given me my most exciting wine/food pairings. Perhaps Ravenneau Chablis (Monte de Tonnere) and Dover Sole is the most standout, had it several times in Paris at Le Dome over the years. And if they oysters are good, Chablis is a must for me.

Brown butter and white Burgundy are a match made in heaven. (At least I hope your Dover Sole was done in the traditional style!)

[Marcu_Stanley]

A while ago I was on vacation near the Chablis region and there were fantastic chablis on the wine lists. So I gave up on wine-food matching and just ate whatever I wanted and ordered Chablis all the time. Those wines went with EVERYTHING except the salad and dessert. They were good with red meats, vegetable dishes, whatever.

[Scott_Brunson]

A while ago I was on vacation near the Chablis region and there were fantastic chablis on the wine lists. So I gave up on wine-food matching and just ate whatever I wanted and ordered Chablis all the time. Those wines went with EVERYTHING except the salad and dessert. They were good with red meats, vegetable dishes, whatever.

Andouillettes from Chablis

[Otto_Forsberg]

A while ago I was on vacation near the Chablis region and there were fantastic chablis on the wine lists. So I gave up on wine-food matching and just ate whatever I wanted and ordered Chablis all the time. Those wines went with EVERYTHING except the salad and dessert. They were good with red meats, vegetable dishes, whatever.

Everything except salad? If I’m making a salad and trying to come up with a wine that’d pair wonderfully with it, I’d go either with a Chablis or a dry Riesling.

[Rich_K0rz_nk0]

Brown butter and white Burgundy are a match made in heaven. (At least I hope your Dover Sole was done in the traditional style!)

This, is ethereal.

Also would throw bone marrow in there.

Rich Chardonnay pairs amazingly well with almost anything mushroom related, but especially sautéed or roasted mushrooms. One of my favourites is just a simple mushroom pasta with a creamy sauce and Parmesan. Pairs incredibly with Burgundy or big California Chardonnay. I always feel guilty pairing an expensive Chardonnay with such basic, simple food but it just works so well.

I’ve never been a big mushroom fan however when I have had, its primarily been with Chards when accompanied by pasta. I’d not worry about cost, its about the experience. Always the experience, and that’s priceless.

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

C’mon folks this is no fun at all.

Where are all the ABC peeps? Where are my hipster Somms? I feel like Adam in the “dry” Riesling thread.

Surely there must be others who find Chardonnay “generally” boring with food vis a vis other white varieties.

Seriously, thanks for input and I’m glad you guys don’t suffer the same syndrome.

Many Anything But California folks are thrilled with Chablis, Corton Charlemagne, Puligny Montrachet, Meursault which have given me my most exciting wine/food pairings. Perhaps Ravenneau Chablis (Monte de Tonnere) and Dover Sole is the most standout, had it several times in Paris at Le Dome over the years. And if they oysters are good, Chablis is a must for me.

Brown butter and white Burgundy are a match made in heaven. (At least I hope your Dover Sole was done in the traditional style!)

As traditional as it gets! And the Ravenneau was under 100 euros (about 6 years ago, but still).

[Rauno_E_NZ]

Aged white Burgundy (not at fridge temp!) with great Comte is about as “simple” and fantastic a match as you can get.