Producing 40 million bottles annually, Chablis wines account for 33% of the white wines made in Burgundy annually. With 2018 proving to have been unexceptionally clement on this winemaking region (read more here), local producers are already celebrating what is being dubbed as the “best vintage in 20 years”. Hence we have for you the ideal food-wine pairings to best enjoy the full range of flavours of the Chablis wine.

Petit Chablis – A convivial drink best served chilled, this wine works wonders when served as an aperitif. Perfect as an early evening drink. Or two.

Chablis – This particular wine pairs well with seafood, especially with grilled fish and oysters. It is also perfect when partnered with goat cheese or any of the white proteins.

Chablis Premier Cru – The sophistication of this wine makes it the ideal companion for a wide range of fine dining experiences, notably poultry, veal, snails, cooked oysters and, most traditionally, Chablis ham. The Chablis Premier Cru also enhances the aromatic depths of certain of the more pungent cheeses, notably Époisses de Bourgogne.

Chablis Grand Cru – With its fine balance of acidity and minerality, the Chablis Grand Cru is notoriously well-matched with lobster, foie gras, white meats, mushroom and any particularly ‘buttery’ dish.

Wine Recommendations

Petit Chablis, Samuel Billaud, 2017: Infused with white floral and fresh apple notes, this wine delivers a complex acidic note, prior to delivering a dry and crisp finish. Aperitif perfectionnement! 

 Petit Chablis, Domaine Jean Claude Courtault, 2016: Its initial blend of citrusy and floral aromas, precedes a rich minerality in the engagingly delicate wine. At just two years old, it’s at its drinking prime.

 Chablis, J Moreau, 2017: A full-bodied, yet deeply fruity wine, it announces itself with a vibrant mandarin note, only to follow with a subtle nuance of almonds, before delivering classic finale that’s all Kimmeridgian minerality, with a subtle saline under-taste. A Chablis for the connoisseur in all of us. 

Chablis, Albert Pic, 2016: Another elegantly-structured wine, this declares itself with fresh note of tropical fruit sublimity, before persisting on the palate with a well-defined and satisfying minerality. A wine to be savoured and one to be sought out whenever fine seafood is in the offing.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay