In the heartland of Chardonnay in Burgundy, where wines made from Chardonnay include Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Macon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuisse, etc., Chardonnays are reliably dry. In the New World, however, and particularly in California, Chardonnays deviate quite a bit from Burgundian white wines. One of the main differences is in the amount of sugar - surprisingly high, in the Golden State.

Serving Tips
There's a great truth in matching wine with food that, to me, has one of its most useful implications in sweet California Chardonnay. Sweet food makes sweet wine taste less sweet. I always say that when you're pairing wine with food at dessert time, you must make sure that the wine is considerably sweeter than the dessert. Otherwise, the wine will end up tasting like lemon juice. It's the sweet-with-sweet dynamic that concerns California Chardonnay.

There are delicious Chardonnays out there made in this off-dry style, but they're a little tricky for menu planners. If you serve these wines with a piece of grilled swordfish, the sweetness really takes center stage, making the wine taste something like pineapple juice next to the fish. But this is exactly where the "sweet-with-sweet" principle leads to the rescue of those sweet-ish Chardonnays. Instead, try combining the fish with something sweet. For instance, roasted red peppers, red pepper puree, cole slaw with raisins, apple slaw, or my favorite of all -- a red pepper and mango salsa.

-David Rosengarten