The best way to really understand Chardonnay and the taste profiles you prefer is to do a side by side tasting. Today’s taste test: five wines, all under $25, from around the world.

Description/Pairing: Chardonnay in general is a medium to full bodied wine with medium acidity and alcohol, all depending to a great extent on the place and the winemaker. The lighter, unoaked styles of Chardonnay pair well with lighter dishes such as steamed or grilled fish and pasta with lighter sauces. The more full-bodied, oaked styles of Chardonnay pair well with heavier cream sauces. After winding down from this taste testing, I grabbed the remainder of wine in my glass and ate a large, rich, buttery cookie from a local bakery – fabulous pairing!

Fun Fact: The wines in this comparison tasting are all from different countries and/or states, and the climate/terroir may show in the wine, but because Chardonnay is such a neutral grape, the winemaker has many different levers to choose from to make their own individual style. If you’ve tried a Chardonnay or two that you didn’t care for, try another in a different style. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular grapes in the world.

LaPostolle: I love Chilean wines for their quality and very reasonable price points. This wine is a bit of an outlier from the other four in that it’s two years older, 2016 versus 2018. It had a much deeper gold color, more pronounced aromas, sharper acidity as one would expect from the Casablanca region, and a nice longer finish. Aromas and flavors of apricots, melon and lemon. No malolactic fermentation; 75% stainless steel. Another fun fact: LaPostolle was founded by Alexandra Marnier LaPostolle, who’s family has produced Grand Marnier for seven generations.

Chateau Ste Michelle: This wine was one of the more pleasant surprises for me with its very fresh, bright style. Aromas and flavors of lemon, orange blossom, and apples in a subtle, creamy texture. I have several red wine favorites from Chateau Ste Michelle. This will be one of their white wines I’ll keep on hand also, particularly at it's great value price.

La Crema: This wine had much more subtle aromas and flavors of apple, pear, and lemon, with some noticeable oak. Covering over 500,000 acres, with many different producers and microclimates, the Sonoma Coast can produce vastly different styles of Chardonnay.

Vasse Felix: I was very excited to include a Vasse Felix Chardonnay in this tasting. I recently opened a Cabernet Sauvignon from this winery that was absolutely stunning and one of my favorites. Of the five Chardonnays today this was the most elegant and showed the most complex aromas and flavors, with lemon, orange, apple, buttered toast (in a nice, restrained fashion), and vanilla. Vasse Felix advertises as the founding wine estate in the famous Margaret River area of Australia.

Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis: A glass of Chablis is how I finally turned onto Chardonnay many years ago. This wine is from 30 year old vines, on Kimmeridgian limestone soils, farmed biodynamically. As is typical of Chablis, this wine has sharper acidity and mineral notes from the soils. Other aromas and flavors include tart green apples, lemon, and floral notes. I was struck by this wine in how much it tasted like champagne without the bubbles. Still a fan favorite.

Overall Favorite? Every wine has a purpose and a place, but for the quality and value, I chose Chateau Ste Michell as my favorite. What are your favorites? Please comment – would love to hear.

You can find all the above wines at Wine.com Shopping at Wine.com has made these types of tasting exercises even more fun and efficient with all the information they provide on their web site. From a cost perspective, I also love the one-time fee for all deliveries, regardless of size, for the entire year.