Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a white wine, usually dry, that tastes of green apple and lemon when it skips oak and of toast and baked peach when it doesn't.

Canada makes world-class Chardonnay. The cool climate keeps the acidity bright, so even oaked wines taste fresh. Oak still decides how rich it gets.

Bottles here ship direct from the winery, and plenty never reach a liquor board shelf. Chardonnay is behind much of the sparkling here too.
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Oaked or unoaked Canadian Chardonnay

Unoaked Chardonnay ferments in steel or concrete and often stays crisp and citrusy. It suits anyone who normally pours Pinot Grigio or Riesling. Barrel-fermented bottles spend months in oak, which adds toast and weight. Look for "unoaked" or "barrel fermented" on the label. "Reserve" often means oak too, though not always.

Where Canadian Chardonnay comes from

Where a label names its appellation, it is often Niagara. Prince Edward County sits on limestone, which shows up as a mineral edge. Okanagan bottles run from steely to ripe and tropical. A few bottles use Washington State grapes, so read the description. Many labels just say VQA Ontario.

Chardonnay is the base of much of the sparkling here

Blanc de Blancs means a white wine made only from white grapes, and in Canada that usually means Chardonnay. Traditional-method wines often blend in Pinot Noir. Want only still wine? Skip anything with brut, sparkling, effervescence, traditional method, charmat, blanc de blanc or ancestral in the name, and read the description when the name is vague. More to browse: our Canadian white wine and sparkling wine pages.

Why do some Chardonnays taste buttery?

Malolactic fermentation turns sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid, and can make diacetyl, the butter note. Barrel time adds vanilla. Winemakers who want a crisper wine can skip either.

What food goes with Chardonnay?

Match the weight. Unoaked suits shellfish or smoked salmon, with a squeeze of lemon. Barrel-fermented bottles stand up to roast chicken or a cream sauce. Sparkling versions cut through anything fried.

How much does a good bottle of Chardonnay cost?

Around $20 gets you an unoaked bottle. Most oaked ones land between $25 and $40. Past $60 you are into single-vineyard, library, magnum, icewine, pack and long-aged sparkling territory. Each winery ships its own parcel, so two wineries means two deliveries.