Finding the right white wine to sit comfortably alongside mildly spiced dishes - coronation chicken, Singapore noodles, vegetable stir-fry, tikka marsala, and any other chicken recipe including harissa, satay, piri-piri, nduja, etc. - can be a tricky call.
In my opinion, Sauvignon Blanc is a non-starter with spicy food, and although many will cite Riesling, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Blanc as the perfect foil, a lot of people would prefer to drink a Chardonnay. However, you need a rich brew that has seen a warm climate as well as retaining a good degree of acidity: takes Burgundy off the option list as well.
Therefore, New World springs to mind: wines from South America and Australia that are readily available for this weekend.
However, any of these wines would be perfect for autumn dishes as well. As we head into the partridge season these would work superbly with game, or truffle-based risottos , as well as full-bodied chicken chasseurs, and not forgetting the old-time favourite of chicken and mushroom pie.
1 - Catena Alta Chardonnay 2020, Mendoza, Argentina
This is the punchiest number of the three. Rich, ripe, aromatic with a good level of acidity, relatively speaking: think West Coast with an additional lift. Whole-cluster-pressed and then 100% fermented in 500-litre French oak barrels. 14 months in oak following the fermentation - first, second and third year barrels - with 30% not undergoing malolactic to retain freshness and acidity. Being a 2020 wine has given it time to integrate well - it is very well balanced. It is very drinkable, and the acidity also would work really well with shellfish.
£23.00 - Majestic - six mix price
2 - Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay 2023, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
On a recent rip to Australia, this wine featured as an option in many, many restaurants. Almost a cult following, and with good reason. Full-bodied with plenty of flavours: apricots, nuts, red apples, citrus rind, peaches and excellent length. Polished. Will age rather well.
£26.25 - Majestic - six mix
£27.00 - Waitrose - inc 25% discount until 26-Aug
See list below for other suggestions from Waitrose while discount applies
3 - Pierro Chardonnay 2022, Margaret River, Western Australia
Margaret River sits just south of Perth. Perhaps best known for their top flight Cabernet Sauvignons, they also make excellent Chardonnays. It is a long strip of land, approximately 68 miles long and 17 miles wide, but with only 5,840 hectares of land under vine. About the same size as Chablis.
I had not tasted this wine for a while, and you forget just how good it is. Refinement, refinement, refinement! Serve this with any dish and you will see eyes widen and smiles broaden. As crowd-pleasers go, it does not get much better.
Melons, peaches, brioche, ripe pears, discrete lemons, oak - more on the palate than the nose - hints of orange blossom, and just a balance, a texture, that sits and sits. It is an astonishingly easy wine to drink and is immensely enjoyable. Will easily last another 5 or more years.
£39.75 - Waitrose - inc 25% discount until 26-Aug
Waitrose: Interesting wines with 25% discount until 26-Aug-25 - six bottles or more:
Sparkling
i - Gosset Petite Douceur Rosé Extra Dry Champagne - £45.00
ii - Nyetimber Cuvée Cherie, Sussex (Demi-sec, think roast chicken) - £31.50
iii - Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs - £12.75
Whites
iv - Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay 2023, South Africa - £24.75
v - Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles 2022, Domaine J-J Girard - £22.50
vi - Inama Vigneti di Foscarino 2021, Soave Classico - £18.75
vii - Louis Jadot Mâcon-Azé 2022 - £12.38
Reds
viii - Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2016, Rioja - £47.25
ix - Jean-Luc Colombo Terres Brulées Cornas 2019, Northern Rhône - £30.75
x - Carpe Diem Pinot Noir 2018, Anderson Valley, California - £28.50
xi - Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2021, South Africa - £28.50
xii - Mt. Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2020, New Zealand - £23.25
xiii - Gigondas, Le Roc des Dentelles 2015, Southern Rhône - £16.50
xiv - Rustenberg John X Merriman 2022, South Africa (Bordeaux blend) - £13.50
Cheese Course
xv - Kopke White Colheita Port 2010 (Tawny) - £33.00
xvi - Henriques & Henriques Verdelho 15-Year-Old Madeira (50cl) - £21.00
xvii - Gonzalez Byass Apostoles Palo Cortado Viejo VORS Sherry (half-bottle)- £19.50