Chardonnay is planted in almost every wine region in Australia, and holds the title as the world's most popular white wine grape. It is so beloved, that every year there is an International Chardonnay Day to celebrate it, and this year it is on Thursday May 21st.
There are two primary styles of chardonnay – the rich, buttery, oaky wines, and then the leaner, fresher expressions with more citrus notes – but naturally these two styles have morphed into more of a spectrum.
When it comes to pairing food with the white wine, the options are as vast as the chardonnay produced. Cool-climate chardonnay, for instance, can match fish and chicken. For the cheese lovers, look to comté or gruyere. As the oak and fruit flavours in a chardonnay increase, such as those from warmer, Mediterranean climates, one of the ultimate food matches is roast chicken. And if your chardonnay preference is heavily oaked, meet the wine with something rich, like pork belly and a generous amount of crackling.
Below are nine chardonnays from regions including Orange, Yarra Valley, Broke Fordwich, Hunter Valley and Gippsland.
Have a look through the list, find a new favourite, pair it with the perfect meal and celebrate International Chardonnay Day the right way.
-
Chardonnay to try
-
Briar Ridge Vineyard
Briar Hill Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2025
Hunter ValleyFine, long and delicious, with green apple and bright lemon flavours and a strong flinty overlay. The palate is fabulously tight, with impressive intensity and line. Focused, intense and mouth-watering. -
Pepper Tree Wines
Venus Block Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2025
OrangeFrom a south-east-facing block on the estate Carillion vineyard that sits at 800m in altitude. A halo of lemongrass, apple blossom and talc powder. This is a chorus of citrus and a purée of white peaches and cream. This is such a tranquil wine, with a fine balance between driving acidity, gentle creamy pockets of almond and specks of vanilla. It chimes with fruit and manages to really showcase the tension of the Orange high-altitude climate with fruit intensity. The most refined Venus Block yet. -
Punt Road
Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2024
Yarra ValleyA vibrant green gold. A complex bouquet of stone fruits, freshly sliced pear and acacia honey. Even better on the palate, which is saline and intense without being heavy. Finishes long. A promising wine that will age nicely over the next four to six years. -
Serrat
Autres Terres Other Terroir Nenagh Park Chardonnay 2024
Yarra ValleyFrom the Nenagh Park vineyard planted in '89 in Yarra Glen on a cool, southeast-facing site. Bright green gold. With its aromas of pure white peach and flowers, together with some light saline scents, this is quite different to the Serrat Home Block Chardonnay. The palate is nicely concentrated and structured, finishing flinty and long. A lovely and very even wine to enjoy now and over the medium term. -
Southern Light Vineyards
Lightfall Vineyard Chardonnay 2024
Yarra ValleyFrom a 41-year-old, west-facing vineyard in Healesville. A bright green gold. A bouquet of yellow peach, acacia honey and cashew. A little richer than the Seven Slopes of Rising Nillumbik Chardonnay. The palate is mouth-filling, with good weight, yet finely tuned and long. Delicious now and over the next three to five years. -
Winmark Wines
Single Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay 2023
Broke FordwichAn exceptional single-vineyard chardonnay, crafted from high-quality fruit and shaped by astute winemaking to enhance its complexity, savouriness and appeal. There’s an air of sophistication, with clean, flinty sulphide detail and a mealiness that wraps around an intense, pure, lemony core. The refined palate, driven by a gorgeous line of acidity, is elegant, tight and fine, gaining length and weight with air. A thoroughly contemporary, intricate style that will delight true chardonnay lovers. Use chardonnay-specific glassware and decant before serving to showcase it at its best. -
Blue Gables
Jesse Chardonnay 2025
GippslandWhat a cracking chardonnay. It’s flinty and fine, flavoursome yet reined in by neat acidity, long and pure. I just want to sit back and enjoy this. Expect white peach, lemon and grapefruit, dabs of spice and oak, more like seasoning, and the ultra-refreshing acidity takes this on a long finish. -
In Dreams
Chardonnay 2024
Yarra ValleyA blend from across the Yarra, with the focus being the township of Yarra Junction in the Upper Yarra Valley. A luminous green gold. A little more open-knit than the '23; you'll find an attractive combination of stone fruits, acacia honey and grilled nuts, while the palate is flavoursome, chalky textured and long. A delicious and well-priced wine to drink now and over the next two to three years. -
PachaMama
Chardonnay 2025
Yarra ValleyA luminous green gold. An attractive bouquet of white peach, gently grilled nuts and just a little lemon verbena. The palate is fresh and vibrant, finishing gently saline. A well-put-together and attractively priced wine to drink over the next two to three years.
Top image credit: Winmark Wines
