White wine
666 wines in cellarA white wine is chosen based on two axes: tension (acidity, which refreshes) and texture (richness, which fills the mouth). A simple, iodized dish calls for a crisp, saline white; a dish in sauce calls for a full-bodied white, sometimes aged in barrel.
Filter by profile, by grape variety, or by the dish you are serving. The FAQ answers our most frequently asked questions.
Matías Riccitelli - Old Vine From Patagonia Torrontés 2024
A high-end Patagonian wine, made from old Torrontes vines
The Sadie Family - Skurfberg Chenin 2024
Chenin from century-old vines on the Skurfberg, between aromatic richness and saline tension.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars - Karia 2021
A Napa Chardonnay that plays on lemony freshness over a creamy texture.
Duckhorn - Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Grapefruit, lime and herbaceous notes, a taut white balanced by its roundness.
Decoy - Sparkling Cuvee Brut
Fine bubbles from Sonoma, green apple and brioche: a lively brut to open the meal.
Creation - Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2024
Sauvignon and Sémillon blended in Hemel-en-Aarde, lively with citrus and creamy from the lees.
Clos Henri Vineyard - Otira Sauvignon Blanc 2024
A single-parcel Sauvignon Blanc: ripe citrus and chiselled minerality, made for the table.
Bousquet - Gran Chardonnay 2024
Organic Chardonnay from Tupungato, ripe peach and discreet oak: roundness without heaviness.
Vite Colte - Moscato d'Asti "La Gatta" 2025
White flowers, lychee and light bubbles: a fresh Moscato d'Asti, never heavy.
460 Casina Bric - Mesdì Bianco
A blend of 2 Piedmontese grape varieties, Arneis and Favorita
Anselmo Mendes - Contacto 2024
A mineral and fine wine, made by a master of Vinho Verde
Tapanappa - Tiers Vineyard 2022
A great cool-climate Chardonnay, between creamy depth and mineral tension.
Yarra Yering - Chardonnay 2021
An Australian Chardonnay of great precision, where freshness, mineral tension and elegance come together to reveal all the finesse of the Yarra Valley's cool terroirs.
Chappaz - Completer 2023
A white wine from the Valais terroir with a strong character, where the ripeness of the fruit meets a precise mineral tension.
The Sadie Family - Palladius 2023
All the identity and richness of Swartland in one bottle
Gavalas Winery - Santorini 2024
A Santorini Assyrtiko with an assertive saline minerality, combining tension, depth, and aromatic purity.
Gavalas Winery - Enalia 2023
A precise and saline Santorini white, which purely expresses the mineral tension of Assyrtiko facing the Aegean Sea.
Giuseppe Quintarelli - Bianco Secco 2024
A Valpolicella white that is saline, aromatic, and precise, a singular signature from Giuseppe Quintarelli.
Paso Primero - Paso Primero Blanco 2019
A lovely white wine from Northern Spain, from vineyards at the foot of the Pyrenees
Kistler - Les Noisetiers Chardonnay 2019
Kistler's Burgundian signature applied to Californian Chardonnay: depth and liveliness.
Columbia Crest - Chardonnay Grand Estate 2019
Pear and white peach, a creamy touch, the mineral freshness of the Columbia River.
Barberani - Castagnolo 2021
This wine will go perfectly with seafood starters, grilled fish and white meats. It will also be excellent as an aperitif!
Emmerich Knoll - Grüner Veltliner Loibner Federspiel 2025
A white wine of great finesse from steep vineyards over 40 degrees!
Leze Herholdt Wines - Semillon Mirum 2023
An old-vine Sémillon from Franschhoek, dense and waxy, crafted by a passionate young winemaker.
Which white wine for which taste?
The profile is more useful for purchase than the region: it describes what the wine does in the mouth, and therefore what it will pair with.
Bright white & mineral
Frank acidity, notes of citrus and flint, saline finish. Sauvignon, Riesling, Assyrtiko.
Oysters and seafoodFruity and round white
Ripe white fruits, roundness, mellow acidity. The consensual profile around a table.
Fish and poultryAromatic white
Expressive nose of flowers, lychee or spices. Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Muscat.
Spicy food and cheesesFull-bodied & woody white
Oak aging: vanilla, hazelnut, creamy texture. Age-worthy Chardonnay.
Dishes in sauceSweet and dessert wine
Residual sugars, aromatic richness. Loire Chenin, Jurançon, Sauternes.
Foie gras and dessertsOrganic & sulfite-free
Organic or biodynamic farming, no or minimal added sulfites.
In every profile
White grape varieties in the catalog
The grape variety provides the structure, the climate gives the style. This table cross-references the two.
| Grape variety | Profile | Dominant aromas | Typical pairing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chardonnay | Round with ample | Citrus, butter, hazelnut | Creamed poultry, fish in sauce |
| Sauvignon Blanc | Lively | Boxwood, citrus, passion fruit | Goat cheese, seafood |
| Riesling | Lively | Lemon, green apple, petrol notes | Asian cuisine, fish |
| Chenin Blanc | Lively to mellow | Quince, honey, chamomile | Poultry, bloomy rind, foie gras |
| Assyrtiko | Lively and saline | Lemon, flint, iodine | Grilled fish, shellfish |
| Viognier | Sufficient | Apricot, white flower | Mild curry, roast chicken |
| Albariño | Lively | White peach, saline note | Seafood, raw fish |
| Gewurztraminer | Aromatic | Lychee, rose, sweet spices | Munster, spicy cuisine |
Which white wine for which dish?
The rule: the wine's acidity must match the fat or iodine in the dish. The richer the dish, the more body the white wine should have.
| The dish | The right profile | The grape varieties | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oysters, shellfish | raw, briny seafood | Lively and saline | Muscadet, Assyrtiko, Albariño |
| Grilled Fish | lean meat, lemon | Lively | Sauvignon, Assyrtiko, Picpoul |
| Fish in sauce, risotto | fat, cream | Full-bodied, sometimes oaky | Chardonnay, Chenin, Viognier |
| Goat cheese | lactic acidity | Vibrant and botanical | Loire Sauvignon |
| Asian cuisine, spicy | sugar, chili, ginger | Aromatic, off-dry | Riesling, Gewürztraminer |
| Creamed poultry | white meat, sauce | Full-bodied and woody | Barrel-aged Chardonnay |
| Appetizer | olives, deli meats | Lively and light | Picpoul, dry Riesling, Albariño |
| Foie gras | bold, sweet-savory | Soft | Loire Chenin, Jurançon |
What we look for in a white wine
A "grand blanc" is not a powerful white wine, it's a tense white wine. Acidity is the backbone; without it, even a very aromatic wine falls flat by the second glass.
This tension is sought where it is natural: Assyrtiko on the volcanic ashes of Santorini, Mosel Riesling, Chenin from Anjou schists, Albariño facing the Atlantic. Fresh terroir wines, often under €20.
Three mistakes we see all the time
Serving too cold. At 4°C, a white wine has no aromas left. Aim for 8-10°C for a crisp white, 11-13°C for a full-bodied white: take it out of the fridge ten minutes beforehand.
Believing that white wines don't age. A Riesling, Chenin, or a terroir-driven Chardonnay can benefit from five to ten years in the bottle.
Confusing dry and acidic. A wine can be dry and round, or slightly sweet and very crisp. Sugar is not the enemy: imbalance is.
The Baroudeur team, Lyon
Everything we're asked about white wine
Which white wine should I choose when I don't know anything about it?
Start with the dish. A simple, iodized dish (oysters, grilled fish) calls for a crisp white wine: Sauvignon, Picpoul, Assyrtiko. A dish with sauce calls for a full-bodied white wine: Chardonnay, Chenin, Viognier. Between €12 and €18, the choice is already very wide.
What is the difference between a dry white and a sweet white?
The amount of sugar remaining in the wine after fermentation. A dry wine contains less than 4 g/l, an off-dry up to 12 g/l, a sweet wine up to 45 g/l, and a dessert wine beyond that. A sweet white wine is not necessarily heavy: the best ones retain a lively acidity that balances the sugar.
At what temperature should white wine be served?
Between 8 and 13°C depending on the style. A crisp, light white is served at 8-10°C, a full-bodied or oak-aged white at 11-13°C. Served too cold, a white wine loses its aromas; this is the most common mistake.
Which white wine with oysters?
A dry, lively, saline white, unoaked: Muscadet sur lie, Picpoul de Pinet, Santorini Assyrtiko, Albariño. Avoid oaked whites, whose vanilla clashes with the iodine.
Can a white wine age?
Yes, when it has acidity, body, or sugar. Riesling, Chenin, and terroir-driven Chardonnay, as well as dessert wines, improve over five to twenty years. White wines without significant acidity should be drunk within two years.
How long does an open bottle of white wine last?
Three to four days re-corked in the refrigerator. A sweet white wine keeps longer due to its sugar content. Re-cork with the original stopper or a vacuum pump, and remove the bottle from the fridge before serving.