- Last Updated on May 31, 2023
This is our comparison of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay. We’ve extensively researched these two popular wines to help you pick the best for you.
Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are the most popular white wine in the world. One of the pluses of Sauvignon Blanc is that it is affordable too. 🤩
Sauvignon Blanc and Unoaked Chardonnay share some similarities in terms of food pairings and structure.
They both tend to be light and crisp and pair very well with a variety of fish including Sushi.Â
Oaked Chardonnay, on the other hand, has more complexity, a different structure, and pairs well with bolder flavors like grilled and smoked dishes.
Find below our wine guide on the most important differences between these two great wines.
Our recommendation for Best Value Sauvignon Blanc is Craggy Range Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and for Best Overall is Illumination Sauvignon Blanc 2019.
Our recommendation for Best Value Chardonnay is Louis Jadot Petit Chablis.
For Best Overall Chardonnay we recommend Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay.
You’ll find below our recommendation for you. Let’s begin with the review!
Wine Selection Overview
Find below our Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay wine selection for you where you’ll find our recommendation for you.
Sauvignon Blanc Selection
Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc
2021
The three things that make this wine the best budget are:
1) Fruity, crispy and bright, which means it’ll be refreshing and easy to drink with fruity aromas and flavors.
2) It’s the perfect everyday white that delivers every time.
3) It cost $16 (😲) yes, it’s unbelievable for the quality you get.
Try it with salads, asparagus, and vegetarian dishes in general, chicken sandwich, salmon, cod, sushi or Brie cheese, and it’ll be a delight.
Read our full review here.
Craggy Range Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
The three things that make this wine the best value are:
1) It’s elegant, crisp and balanced, which means that you’ll get a refreshing wine with intense flavors and aromas.Â
2) Scores 90+ points according to numerous critics, which tells you how good this wine is.
3) It offers great value for your money, ~$15 cheaper than Illumination Sauvignon Blanc.
Try it with salads, asparagus, turkey, chicken, shellfish, and sushi for example, and it’ll be a delight!
Read our full review here.
There are at least four things that make this wine the best overall:
1) Brings Cali Sauvignon Blanc to the next level with its complexity, intensity and balance, so you are going to have a unique experience.
2) It’s in the top 3 of the Californian Sauvignon Blanc right now.
3) Scores 90+ points according to numerous critics, which tells you how good this wine is.
4) Priced competitively against its peers, so you’ll save a few $s and still get a great wine.
Read our full review here.
Chardonnay Selection
Sebastiani Butterfield Station Chardonnay
The three things that make this wine the best budget are:
1) It’s fresh and fruity with a stronger body compared to Pinot Grigio. You’ll still find it refreshing and easy to drink.
2) It’s the perfect everyday white that delivers every time.
3) It costs ~$15 which is a good value for the quality you get.
Try it with a variety dishes like grilled shrimp, lobster or roasted vegetables if you prefer a vegetarian/vegan option.
Read our full review here.
Louis Jadot Petit
Chablis
The three things that make this wine the best value are:
1) It’s refreshing and complex, which means that although it’s easy to drink it’s more refined than the previous one, as you’ll perceive more aromas and flavours.Â
2) It’s a versatile wine, so you can pair it with various dishes from fish, white meat, veggie and of course light and fresh cheese.
3) It’s a good quality-price ratio. For ~ $25 you get a high quality Chardonnay for a reasonable price.
Try it with lobster, roasted chicken or pork, feta quiche or Thai green curry and it will be a delight!
Read our full review here.
Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay
There are at least three things that make this wine the best overall:
1) Extra clarity and finesse compared to the standard Chardonnay, i.e. it’s a pure joy to drink.
2) Has many layers of complexity which is a testament to the quality of the grapes and the winemaking expertise of Beringer Vineyards and makes it a perfect example of California Chardonnay.
3) It offers great value for your money if compared to its peers, as you’ll save several $10s.
Read our full review here.
Comparison
Let’s now take a closer look at the difference between Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay so that you’ll have enough details to make an informed decision.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: Where are they produced?
Regions and winemaking techniques influence the taste profiles of both wines. The typical taste profiles depending on the region, for Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay, are as follows:
Sauvignon Blanc ripens early and grows best in cool climates like France, New Zealand, and Northern Italy.Â
These wines tend to have high acidity, citrus fruit, and herbaceous flavors with some tropical fruit and floral notes.
In France, the climate slows the ripening of the vine which results in better acidity vs sugar balance and develops aromas intensity.
In warmer climates such as California, Washington, South Africa, and Chile, the tropical fruit notes intensify.Â
This happens thanks to the over-ripening of the grapes, which, if not controlled will considerably reduce aromas. Find more about Sauvignon Blanc here.
Chardonnay’s an extremely versatile grape that grows worldwide in different climates and soil. Chardonnay does best in clay, limestone, and chalky soil.Â
The climate affects the tasting profile of the wine in the following ways:
In cool climates, Chardonnay tends to be mineral with citrus flavor, high acidity, and medium body.Â
Regional areas examples: France (Champagne, Burgundy), Northern Italy, US (Sonoma Coast), New Zealand.
In warm climates, Chardonnay tends to have tropical and stone fruit ripe flavor, lower acidity, and full body.Â
Like Sauvignon Blanc, if the over-ripening is not properly controlled it will considerably reduce aromas and acidity.Â
Regional areas examples:Â Southern Italy, South Australia, and South Africa. Find more about Chardonnay here.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: Which grapes are used to produce them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay from a grape point of view.
Sauvignon Blanc is produced from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
Chardonnay is produced from Chardonnay grapes.
Both are is a white-wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: What's their alcohol content?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay from an alcohol content point of view.
Alcohol content or more precisely Alcohol By Volume, i.e. ABV, measures the alcoholic strength of a drink.
There is a direct relationship between the sugar left in the wine after the alcoholic fermentation has taken place, i.e. Residual Sugar or RS, and ABV.
During the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast transforms the sugar in the grape juice into alcohol. Grapes with high residual sugar will therefore produce dry wine with a high ABV.
Sauvignon Blanc’s ABV is usually between 11.5% to 14%, whereas Chardonnay’s ABV ranges between 10.5% to 14.5% depending on the style.Â
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: What's their taste profile?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay from a taste profile point of view.
Sauvignon Blanc is a dry wine, with a pale lemon color. It’s known for its high acidity and typical green herbal flavors.Â
Sauvignon Blanc’s typical flavors depend on the style. Here is a brief overview:
- Loire Valley: white peach, lime, gooseberryÂ
- Bordeaux: white peach, lime, beeswax, cream, and honeycomb
- Marlborough: passion fruit, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, gooseberry
Chardonnay is a dry to off-dry wine with a pale lemon to deep gold color. Depending on the style it can be light, fresh, and crisp if unoaked or rich, buttery and full-bodied if oaked.
Typical flavors for unoaked Chardonnay are lemon zest, peach, honeysuckle, and green fruit or tropical fruit depending on the ripeness.
These wines tend to have medium-high acidity and a medium-full body.
Typical flavors for oaked Chardonnay are butter, vanilla, spice, apple, chalk, and citrus fruit for cool climates or tropical fruit for warm climates.
The wines tend to have medium-low acidity and a medium-full body.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: Are they sweet or dry?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay in terms of sweetness level or residual sugar.
The sweetness level of a wine is expressed in grams of sugar per liter, aka g/L, or as a percentage.
10 g/L equals 1% which, if you are interested, represents 6 calories per 5 oz serving.Â
You will usually find Sauvignon Blanc as a dry wine.
On the other side you can find Chardonnay as a dry to off-dry sweetness level.
- A dry wine contains less than 15 g/L.
- An off dry wine contains between 15-30 g/L.
Learn more about wine sweetness level here.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: Which are the recommended food pairings?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay from a food pairings point of view.
Both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are versatile wines and pair very well with many dishes. You’ll find below some suggestions.
Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with Brussel sprouts, asparagus, salad, white meat like chicken and turkey, and various fish and shellfish including sushi.Â
Cheese wise go for soft and cream cheese like Philadelphia and brie for example.
Chardonnay pairings depend on the style.Â
Unoaked Chardonnay goes well with salad, veggie risotto, paté, chicken, shellfish, sushi. Cheese wise go with fresh cheese like goat cheese.
Oaked Chardonnay can be paired with bolder flavors like prosciutto crudo, pumpkin, pork, grilled meat, roast chicken, grilled fish smoked salmon, and crab cakes.Â
Cheese wise go for cream to triple cream cheese like Brie or Brillat-Savarin.Â
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: How should you serve and store them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay in terms of serving and storing the wine.
Sauvignon Blanc shouldn’t be decanted and you can serve it at 45 – 50 °F (7 – 10 °C) in a Chardonnay or Viognier glass.[1]
The recommended storing period is 1-3 years for normal bottles.
Chardonnay shouldn’t be decanted. The service temperature and the storing period depend on the style.
For Unoaked Chardonnay serve at 45 – 50 °F (7 – 10 °C) in a Chardonnay or Viognier glass. The recommended storing period is 2-3 years for normal bottles.
For Oaked Chardonnay serve at 50 – 55 °F (10 – 13 °C) in a Chardonnay or Viognier glass. The recommended storing period is 5-7 years for normal bottles.
Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay: How much do they cost?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay from a price comparison point of view.
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most famous and affordable white wines. The price generally ranges from $10-$40.
Where $20-$40 are generally the French and Italian wines, $10-$30 California and New Zealand wines. $10-$20 for the rest.
You can though also find Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux that costs over $1k like Château Haut-Brion blanc AC Pessac-Léognan, 2007.
Chardonnay‘s price range is on average between $10-$50. You’ll find more expensive Chardonnay over $100 especially from France, Italy, and the US.Â
If you are after some luxury bottle, there is a rare example of over $10k a bottle, yes $10k, such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru.
Our Verdict
If you have been through the guide, by now you are a Sauvignon Blanc vs Chardonnay expert!
Both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are great wines and you should have a good idea of what to expect from them.  Â
Our recommendation is therefore based on what you’d fancy the most at a particular given moment or event.Â
Sauvignon Blanc and Unoaked Chardonnay are usually good choices for a hot summer day since they are refreshing, very light, and easy to drink.
Oaked Chardonnay offers more complexity and can be paired with bolder flavors like grilled meat or fish. It’s therefore a more all-year-round wine in a sense.
Our recommendation for Best Value Sauvignon Blanc is Craggy Range Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and for Best Overall is Illumination Sauvignon Blanc 2019.
Our recommendation for Best Value Chardonnay is Louis Jadot Petit Chablis.
For Best Overall Chardonnay we recommend Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay.
As always make sure to serve them at the right temperature to enjoy them at their best.
