Are you a Chardonnay enthusiast? This article is written for you: find out which are the best 10 wines made from Chardonnay grapes in Italy that cost from 23 euros and below.
What follows is a true journey between freshness, elegance and value for money that every wine lover should know about: let’s talk about Italian Chardonnays.
A global grape variety, an increasingly Italian expression
Talking about Chardonnay in Italy means dealing with one of the international grape varieties that has best found its own identity in our country. Arriving as a “global variety,” it has gradually taken root in the most vocated territories, demonstrating a extraordinary capacity for adaptation: from the taut and mineral interpretations of the Northeast to the more structured and sunny interpretations of some hilly areas of the Center and South.
From international style to contemporary precision
For years Chardonnay was perceived as synonymous with international style, sometimes marked by a pronounced use of wood. Today, however, the trend has changed: there is a search for Aromatic precision, balance, sharpness of fruit, with vinifications that favor freshness and drinkability, without sacrificing complexity. The result is an extremely varied panorama, capable of offering wines with great personality even in affordable price ranges.
The band within 23 euros: the productive heart of wineries
23 euro threshold represents a particularly interesting terrain today. It is a range in which many companies invest attention and expertise, offering labels that express a well-defined stylistic figure, while maintaining a competitive price-quality ratio. These are not “minor wines,” but bottles that often form the productive heart of wineries.
Concrete quality, without excess
Therefore, the selection we propose here aims to tell the contemporary face of Italian Chardonnay: wines that combine varietal recognizability and territorial character, oenological technique and measure, immediate pleasantness and, in some cases, also an interesting capacity for evolution. A journey between different interpretations, united by a common denominator: concrete quality without overpricing.
Our ranking
The following wines are listed in order of score and those with the same score see those with the lowest price first. They are all 100% Chardonnay except for the Castel del Monte Chardonnay Pietrabianca 2024 Bocca di Lupo, which pairs 90% Chardonnay with 10% Fiano.
Vinification and aging changes: except for two-which are vinified and aged in steel-the others all see wood input of varying capacities, from barrels to large casks.
The great classics that we all have in mind are priced higher. In this ranking we want you to discover wines that are perhaps less well-known, but of proven quality by our tasting committees for the Essential Guide to the Wines of Italy 2026.
South Tyrol
Vigneti delle Dolomiti Chardonnay Pfaffenegg 2023 Josmoar
Score: 95/100
Average price: € 23,00
100% Chardonnay. Steel and large barrels. Bright yellow with greenish highlights. Rich notes of tropical fruit and wild flowers on the nose. Creamy and full in the mouth, fresh and very savory on the finish.
Latium
Lazio Chardonnay Calanchi di Vaiano 2024 Paolo and Noemia D’Amico
Score: 94/100
Average price: € 13,50
100% Chardonnay. Steel, for 8 months. Straw yellow, with bright highlights. Nose varied, ethereal, floral, yellow fruit, exotic fruit notes and decidedly balsamic. Mouth consistent, rich, firm, fruity, good freshness, long persistence and equal overall pleasantness.
Trentino
Vigneti delle Dolomiti Vign’Asmara 2024 Conti Bossi Fedrigotti
Score: 94/100
Average price: € 18,00
100% Chardonnay. 10 months in barrique. Golden yellow. Very aromatic nose hints of lychee, spearmint and nettle. Taste creamy and salty, lively. Gourmand, taut, with very pleasant reductive and tense notes donated by the skillful use of wood. Persistent.
Alto Adige
Alto Adige Chardonnay 2024 Unterhofer
Score: 93/100
Average price: € 14,00
100% Chardonnay. Used barrels. Brilliant straw yellow. Clear fruity aromas, particularly of exotic fruits. Agile and fresh, with elegant, saline structure. Savory finish.
Apulia
Salento Chardonnay Teresa Manara 2024 Cantele
Score: 93/100
Average price: € 14,50
100% Chardonnay. 6 months on the lees in French oak. Greenish yellow. Aromas of yellow peach, pineapple, banana, herbs, broom and woody nuances. Full, fat palate supported by taut freshness and savory finish. Deep finish reminiscent of peach.
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte Chardonnay Siet Vignis 2023 Ronco del Gelso
Score: 93/100
Average price: € 17,00
100% Chardonnay. Big barrels. Straw color. Classic hints of ripe fruit, banana and yellow plum. The palate is convincing; it is fat and rich in extracts, with a pleasant freshness to accompany a good persistence.
Apulia
Castel del Monte Chardonnay Pietrabianca 2024 Bocca di Lupo
Score: 93/100
Average price: € 21,00
90% Chardonnay, 10% Fiano. 12 months in barrique the Chardonnay, the Fiano in steel. Straw-colored discharge. Intense nose with notes of melon, peach, a hint of boxwood and pine. Lean and lively flavor texture, good progression and finish.
South Tyrol
Alto Adige Chardonnay Mühlanger 2023 Brunnenhof
Score: 93/100
Average price: € 23,00
100% Chardonnay. Fermented and matured in 5 hl oak barrels. Light straw yellow. Tropical aromas with mango, banana, pineapple and butter on the nose. Soft and full with delicate vanilla undertones on the palate.
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Venezia Giulia Chardonnay 2024 Di Lenardo
Score: 91/100
Average price: € 10,50
100% Chardonnay. Stainless steel. Light straw yellow. Nose incense, cardamom, ripe pineapple, unroasted wood. In the mouth clementine, sweet peach, savory flavor, slightly bitter but well integrated finish.
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Friuli Colli Orientali Chardonnay S. Elena 2023 Petrussa
Score: 91/100
Average price: € 22,00
100% Chardonnay. Barrique for 10 months. Light straw yellow. Rich olfactory profile: vanilla, whole milk, baked apple, overripe fruit, warm wood. In the mouth crème caramel, toasty, fat, almost buttery finish.
