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Wines like Chardonnay
The most adaptable white grape in the world, and the one most often blamed for what winemakers do to it. Below: what to try next, grouped by the direction you want to travel.
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What do you like about Chardonnay?
Optional — the results below already work without it. But “I like Malbec” is at least four different preferences wearing one name, and saying which one you mean changes the answer substantially. Only qualities this wine actually has are offered.
What these words mean
- How full and weighty it is
- Body is how much the wine seems to fill your mouth — the difference between skimmed and whole milk. It comes mostly from alcohol and ripeness.
- That it is not too strong
- Alcohol you notice as warmth at the back of the throat. Some people find it a pleasant part of a big red and some find it tiring.
- The creamy, rounded texture
- A soft, almost dairy-like roundness. In white wine it usually comes from malolactic fermentation or from time on the lees, not from the grape.
- The vanilla and oak
- Vanilla, toast, coconut, sweet spice, sometimes smoke. It comes from the barrel rather than the grape, which is why the same grape can taste completely different with and without it.
- The savoury, meaty side
- Leather, olive, cured meat, dried herbs, tobacco. It is what people mean by calling a wine "serious" rather than "fruity", and it comes with age as well as with place.
- That it is properly dry
- No perceptible sugar at all. Almost all red wine is dry and a good deal of white wine is not, which is why this is a more useful thing to say about a white than about a red.
Looking for something keeping the creamy, rounded mouthfeel, while moving away from too savoury or funky.
Based on what you said
Ranked against the qualities you named rather than against the wine as a whole. The directions below are refined the same way.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Antão Vaz
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Malvasia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- Substantially less savoury or funky.
Godello
curatedA Spanish white with comparable texture and stone fruit that handles oak in a similar way.
- Keeps the creamy, rounded mouthfeel.
- About as savoury or funky as the wine you started from.
Closest overall
Nearest neighbours, no change of direction.
Closest matches
The nearest overall neighbours across structure and flavour, with no deliberate change of direction.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Different grape, similar feel
Deliberately excludes the variety you already know, to find a genuinely new wine that fills the same role.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Change the structure
Same idea, different weight, grip or freshness.
Similar but lighter
Keeps the character but reduces weight, alcohol and density in the mouth.
Moschofilero
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Loureiro
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher and more acidic.
Parellada
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Holds the character and the weight where it can, and moves specifically on strength. Note that below about 11% the choices narrow sharply, and below 5% they are mostly a different category rather than a lighter version of the same one.
Moschofilero
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and lighter.
Loureiro
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher and more acidic.
Spätlese
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher and more acidic.
Mantinia Moschofilero
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and lighter.
Similar but fuller
Keeps the character but adds weight, concentration and mouthfeel.
Viognier
curatedFor someone who likes full-bodied Chardonnay and wants more perfume.
Expect: Dramatically more aromatic — apricot and honeysuckle — with lower acidity.
Condrieu
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Pedro Ximénez
Pedro Ximénez scores closest to Chardonnay across WineHQ’s taste dimensions.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Recioto della Valpolicella
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and fruitier.
Similar but less tannic
For readers who find firm reds drying. Reduces tannic grip while holding flavour and weight roughly steady.
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Alsace Pinot Gris
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and softer and rounder.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Similar but more structured
More tannic architecture, for food or for ageing.
Mtsvane Kakhuri
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and less oaky.
Malvasia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and sweeter.
Malvazija Istarska
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more restrained in fruit.
Albana
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more restrained in fruit.
Similar but fresher
Raises acidity and overall lift, usually by moving to a cooler-climate expression.
Petit Manseng
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and fruitier.
Montlouis-sur-Loire
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and leaner and more cutting.
Gros Manseng
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and leaner and more cutting.
Petite Arvine
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and leaner and more cutting.
Similar but softer
Lowers acidity and sharpness in favour of a broader, gentler feel.
Alsace Pinot Gris
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and softer and rounder.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Viognier
curatedFor someone who likes full-bodied Chardonnay and wants more perfume.
Expect: Dramatically more aromatic — apricot and honeysuckle — with lower acidity.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
The sparkling version
Moves to a sparkling expression while holding the flavour and weight as close as possible.
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and less oaky.
Prosecco
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more fruit-driven.
Moscato d’Asti
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fruitier.
Austrian Sekt
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher and more acidic.
Similar but sweeter
Adds perceptible sweetness, which also softens acidity and chilli heat.
Alsace Pinot Gris
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and softer and rounder.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Malvasia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and sweeter.
Petit Manseng
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and fruitier.
Change the flavour
Same shape, different aromatic character.
Similar but less oaky
One of the commonest requests in wine. Strips oak influence while holding grape character and weight.
Antão Vaz
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and broader and softer.
Avesso
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and lighter.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and more floral.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and more floral.
Similar but more oaky
Adds barrel character, toast and a creamier texture.
California Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and more savoury.
California Cabernet Sauvignon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fruitier.
Super Tuscan
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more herbal and green.
Pinotage
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and less oaky.
Similar but more aromatic
More to smell before you taste — floral, fruity or spiced aromatics.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Viognier
curatedFor someone who likes full-bodied Chardonnay and wants more perfume.
Expect: Dramatically more aromatic — apricot and honeysuckle — with lower acidity.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Gewürztraminer
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fruitier.
Similar but more restrained
For readers who find intensely aromatic wines tiring over a whole glass. Keeps the structure, turns the volume down.
Pinot Blanc
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more restrained in fruit.
Sémillon
curatedA similarly low-aromatic, textural white that develops complexity with age and oak.
Expect: Waxier and more lanolin-scented, with a distinctive toasty maturity.
Seyval Blanc
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and more restrained in fruit.
Cortese
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and fresher and more acidic.
Similar but more floral
Pushes specifically towards rose, violet, blossom and elderflower character.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Mtsvane Kakhuri
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and less oaky.
Gewürztraminer
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and fruitier.
Similar but less floral
Some drinkers read floral aromatics as soapy or perfumed. This holds the structure and removes them.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Antão Vaz
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Similar but more savoury
Moves away from primary fruit towards earth, herb, meat and umami character.
White Burgundy
Both are made from chardonnay, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Friuli white
Both are made from chardonnay.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
Savennières
Both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher and more acidic.
Jura Savagnin and Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher and more acidic.
Similar but fruitier
More obvious, generous fruit flavour, usually from a warmer climate.
Antão Vaz
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Malagousia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
Malvasia
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and sweeter.
Change the place
Keep the grape, move it somewhere else.
Same grape, somewhere else
Holds the variety constant and changes the place, which is often a bigger change than swapping the grape.
Chilean Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and less spicy.
California Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and more savoury.
Soave
Both are made from chardonnay, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and leaner and more cutting.
Australian Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and less spicy.
Same grape, cooler climate
Typically fresher, lighter and more herbal, with lower alcohol.
English still white
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and more savoury.
Jura Savagnin and Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher and more acidic.
Chablis
curatedThe unoaked, high-acid expression of the same grape.
Expect: No vanilla or butter at all — citrus, green apple and a saline finish instead.
Austrian Sekt
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be fresher and more acidic, and more savoury.
Same grape, warmer climate
Typically riper, fuller and more generous in fruit, with higher alcohol.
Austrian botrytis sweet wine
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and fresher and more acidic.
Chilean Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and lighter.
California Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and more savoury.
Australian Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and lighter.
Change the mood
Safer, stranger, cheaper or more serious.
A safe next step
Well-known wines that are widely available and unlikely to surprise anyone.
Pinot Gris
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and softer and rounder.
California Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be rounder and creamier in texture, and more savoury.
English Bacchus
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be leaner and more cutting, and lighter.
Chenin Blanc
curatedThey occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and fresher and more acidic.
Something more adventurous
Less familiar wines that occupy similar territory — the interesting end of the shelf.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Godello
curatedA Spanish white with comparable texture and stone fruit that handles oak in a similar way.
Expect: More mineral and citrus-driven, and far less widely known.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
A better-value alternative
Wines that occupy similar sensory territory from regions carrying less price premium. WineHQ does not hold live prices, so this reasons from regional reputation and demand rather than from a price feed — treat it as a lead, not a quote.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be less oaky, and more herbal and green.
Vidal
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Hárslevelű
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be sweeter, and less oaky.
Pošip
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be softer and rounder, and less oaky.
A step up
The benchmark expressions of the same territory, usually with more concentration, structure and ageing potential.
Super Tuscan
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more herbal and green.
Australian Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and less spicy.
White Burgundy
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure, both come from the same country.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and more restrained in fruit.
California Chardonnay
Both are made from chardonnay, and they occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect: Expect it to be more savoury, and rounder and creamier in texture.
Each suggestion is scored across sixteen taste dimensions, weighted so that structure matters more than flavour, and adjusted for whether the wine actually moves in the direction you asked for. Curated links from an editor carry extra weight — but only when the editor tagged them for this direction. Nothing here is a black box; see the taste model for the full method.