What’s In Your Glass? Chardonnay Paired With Grilled Lobster & Shrimp

Hello Common Grapers! What’s In Your Glass? This is the place where Common Grapers can share their wine experiences, pairings, events, wine obsessions, and any wine related fun they have created or experienced. The hope is that it will entertain and inspire the rest of us for our next wine experience.

Fire Up The Grill

Let’s check in with our friends, Sissy and Dave, who shared a fabulous food pairing they put together. With these warm summer days, the grills are getting a workout. These two prepared grilled lobster and shrimp which sounds absolutely delicious without even going any further. To complete this dish they paired it with a Chardonnay from California.

Not Your Typical California Chardonnay

They decided to pair the shellfish with Frog’s Leap Stone & Shale Chardonnay. One thing to know about this Chardonnay is that it was produced more like an unoaked Chablis from France. This Chardonnay spent about 5 days in oak barrels and then finished fermentation in concrete tanks. This resulted in a Chardonnay without any detectable oak flavors (ie. Vanilla, toast, butter).

The description of Stone & Shale in the name is meant to draw on the mineral qualities of the Chardonnay. It really is a beautiful wine and a great one to keep in mind if you don’t care for oaky Chardonnay.

Pairing Chardonnay With Food

Grilled lobster and shrimp pairs well with either oaked or unoaked Chardonnay. These types of shellfish are typically seasoned lightly with salt and butter which pairs easily with either type of Chardonnay. I’m sure this unoaked version from Frog’s Leap paired beautifully.

The one thing to remember when pairing Chardonnay is that both Oaked and Unoaked Chardonnay pair well with light proteins, seasonings and fresh flavors. Unoaked can take it a step further with creamy, earthy elements. Find out more in this post: How to Pair Chardonnay Like a Sommelier

Wine Style & Rating

Let’s see how they categorized the White Wine Style for the Frog’s Leap Stone & Shale Chardonnay:

White Wine Styles:

• Dry & Crisp: refreshing, bright, clean

• Dry & Fragrant: crisp, citrusy, aromatic

• Sweet & Fragrant: rich, fruity, aromatic

• Rich & Creamy: oaky, buttery

They described this wine as being dry with minerality along with being crisp and refreshing. This falls in the Dry & Crisp category.

Wine Rating:

Looks like this one was a winner. They wanted an entire bottle to themselves.

What’s In Your Glass? Wrap Up

Thanks for sharing a fabulous summer pairing of grilled Lobster and Shrimp with Frog’s Leap Stone & Shale Chardonnay. This is a great example of an unoaked Chardonnay and a great one to keep on hand if the typical oaky, buttery Chardonnays aren’t your thing.

Hey…What’s In Your Glass?

Share YOUR wine experiences with us. We want to hear about your latest wine obsessions, pairings, and tastings. Head on over to this link and share: What’s In Your Glass?