Chardonnay is a wine that I like when I have not had it for several months. While planning to make a seafood paella for dinner, I searched my wine room for a white wine. I knew I wanted to put a splash or two of wine in the paella. For me, one of the best white wines to cook with is Chardonnay. I chose an East Coast Chardonnay from Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes New Jersey. The 2012 Pheasant Hill Chardonnay proved to be a winner.

The yellow colored wine had an apple and caramel aroma. The full bodied wine was smooth and offered apple, citrus and caramel on the taste. The finish was crisp with a nice blend of fruit and oak influences, Even though we had tomatoes in the paella, this wine played well with the base and the fish in the paella. Kathy, who generally is an ABC, Anything But Chardonnay, wine drinker, enjoyed this Chardonnay. The oak influence was subtle and the fruit was forward. The wine was simply yummy.

We visited Unionville Vineyards in 2007 and again in 2014. During our visit we met Cameron Stark and energetic winemaker that doesn’t mind hopping between barrels. For those that doubt the wine coming from the East Coast, Unionville Cellars had a wonderful Chardonnay from the Pheasant Hill Vineyards.

Read our article about Unionville Vineyards.

Cheers,
Terry