Thanks to its great adaptability and robustness it is grown almost all over the world, producing wines of very different characteristics that can create interesting combinations with food.
If in general, the richness and softness of Chardonnay make it perfect with cheese, it is precisely in this combinations that all the variability of the style of Chardonnay-based wines can be denoted. In fact, it will be essential to evaluate what cheese goes with Chardonnay, as each cheese can be combined with a completely different wine style.
Chardonnay and cheese pairing is a simple exercise because Chardonnay is a pretty neutral grape that adapts very easily to its cultivation environment and to the style of the winemaker, and can therefore create very versatile wines.
To make things easier, we will talk about 3 main styles of Chardonnay, according to the climatic zones in which it is grown and the use of wood: fresh and young Chardonnay, not oaked, fruity and medium-bodied Chardonnay, and oaked Chardonnay.
Bear with us and we will explain to you, the various characteristics of different wine styles and how to create the best cheese pairing with Chardonnay.
Cheese pairing with Chardonnay: the basics
When picking the best cheese pairing for Chardonnay, the first thing to consider is the intensity of the flavors.
A mature and dense cheese should be paired with an equally structured wine, while a fresh, delicate cheese will pair best with a simpler, lighter style of Chardonnay.
Aromas also play an important role: fresh, fruity wines will harmonize the flavors of a pungent cheese, while the buttery, woody notes of a wood-aged Chardonnay will be perfect partners for the nuttiness of some aged cheeses. And, we must never forget that regional pairings often work great.
Last but not least, as a general rule, it is always best to taste the wine before, to avoid the flavors of the cheese that have a stronger impact on our palate, overpowering the wine.
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Young, unoaked Chardonnay cheese pairing
When grown in cold climates regions and aged in steel, Chardonnay expresses a lean and mineral character with aromas of fresh fruit, such as citrus, apple, and pear. The resulting wines are fairly light with a refreshing acid vein and marked crispiness.
This style of Chardonnay is generally produced in the Chablis and Macon wine regions of Burgundy, Northern Italy, and Oregon in the USA, but also in parts of Western Australia and Chile.
These wines will go deliciously with any fresh and delicate cheese with a fairly high acidity or a salty character. Try them with:
Halloumi
Mozzarella and Burrata
Goat Cheese
Ricotta and Robiola
And if you are organizing a cheese board Chardonnay pairing, add some crudités with olive oil, some grilled vegetables, or some salad leaves to complete your presentation.
Fruity Chardonnay cheese pairing
In warm climates, Chardonnay produces wines with sweeter flavors and juicy aromas of tropical fruit, such as melon, mango, and pineapple. They also show a round body and a great concentration of fruit which is well-balanced by lively acidity.
This is the style produced in many New World countries such as New Zealand or some parts of Australia, but also in Italy, especially in Sicily.
In this case, the best cheese to go with Chardonnay will be a mild semi-hard one with a touch of creaminess that is not too pungent. Try one of these:
Camembert
Brie
Taleggio
Raclette
Don’t forget to add some fresh fruit, jam, focaccia, and olives to complete your cheese board.
Oaked Chardonnay cheese pairing
Chardonnay loves to age in oak. The slow oxygenation that takes place in the wooden barrels adds complexity and fullness to the wine. While the toasted notes of the oak add spicy, toasted, and buttery aromas giving the Chardonnay a unique character.
The great wines of Burgundy as well as the Californian Chardonnays are almost always aged in wood before bottling. The use of new or used barriques and the time spent in the barrel affect the intensity of woody aromas.
Oaked Chardonnays are ideal partners with aged cheeses that have nutty flavors and a rich texture like:
Gruyere
Comté
Gouda
Aged cheddars
Serve your cheese selection with jams (especially figs or apricot) or honey, lots of nuts, and dried fruit for a complete tasting experience.
Best cheese with Chardonnay
We've learned that that is not only one type of cheese that goes with Chardonnay. Each cheese has to be paired with its own Chardonnay style. So, choose your favorite cheese and follow our guidelines for the best cheese to pair with Chardonnay depending on style and country of origin.
Goat cheese
Unoaked Chardonnay wines that are medium-bodied, mineral, and balanced, pair perfectly with creamy cheeses that are not too salty and not too spicy, such as fresh goat cheeses.
The soft and creamy texture and tangy flavor of the cheese will play extremely well with the fresh tartness of the wine. Choose a Chardonnay with a mineral backbone, a round texture, and refreshing flavors of apples and pears, like a French Macon-Villages, a Pouilly-Fuissé, or a Chablis.
Our suggestion: Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse
Brie
Brie is a very popular French cheese, characterized by a pleasant meltiness, richness, and fairly high fat content.
Chardonnay has just the right texture and body to balance out that creamy, enveloping mouthfeel. And its lively acidity will help cleanse the palate from the richness of the cheese.
The best choice will be a fruity wine with light oak influences, that is soft but not too heavy, such as a New Zealand or Australian wine.
Our suggestion: Vasse Felix Chardonnay
Comté
Comté is a delicious Gruyère-type hard cheese made from cow's milk, aged for a minimum period of 4 months. The first written traces date back to the 13th century when the cheese was produced in the traditional 'fruitières', that are cooperative establishments where the farmers used to collect their milk.
The slightly salty character of the cheese enhances the freshness of the wine, while the dense and slightly grainy texture softens and lightens on contact with the wine. The nutty and caramelized notes of the cheese find an ideal partner in the buttery roundness of an elegantly aged Chardonnay, such as a Burgundy wine.
Our suggestion: Beaune 1er Cru "Pertuisots", Arnaud Baillot
Gouda
Made from cow's milk, Gouda is a semi-hard cheese from the homonymous city in the Netherlands. Gouda can be categorized by aging, from 4 weeks, for young cheeses, up to 12 months or more, for very old cheeses. Young cheeses have a delicate flavor with sweet and creamy notes and hints of caramel. After maturing, the flavor of the cheese becomes much more intense and takes on hints of hazelnut.
A Chardonnay that is not too woody can balance Gouda's flavors and intensity, and just the right texture to balance the richness of this cheese with class.
Our suggestion: Cakebread Chardonnay
Camembert
Camembert is one of the most famous French cheeses in the world together with Brie. It is made with cow's milk, and has a white-washed rind and a melting, dense, and rich heart, with a slightly sweet and milky flavor.
Chardonnay is a brilliant partner for Camembert: thanks to its acidity the wine cuts through the rich creaminess of the cheese and the fruity aromas (especially those of apple) of the wine enhance the medium-intense flavor of the cheese.
Better to choose a fruity wine, which has not been aged in oak or has only a slight influence of well-integrated wood.
Our suggestion: Alpha Domus Unoaked Chardonnay
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a fresh and versatile cheese that can be used in a large variety of dishes. It is certainly one of the best-known Italian products in the world and one of the fundamental ingredients of pizza, but it can also be enjoyed alone or in salads. It is a medium-bodied cheese with a slightly sweet taste. The version with buffalo milk is richer and has a more rounded flavor.
The delicacy of its flavors makes it perfect in combination with a young, fresh, and light Chardonnay, possibly with a mineral note.
Our suggestion: Toscana Chardonnay IGT "Moonlite", Rocca delle Macìe
Conclusions
Wine and cheese is a perfect combination, one of the tastiest and most appreciated food and wine pairings.
But there is not just one type of cheese that pairs with Chardonnay. Indeed, this grape has a food-friendly nature and a great ability to create different wines that can make our lives easier pairing deliciously with many different types of cheese.
With our explanations of the various types of wine and their characteristics, you will now be able to find the most suitable wine for your cheese pairing with Chardonnay.