Charming Chardonnay

The still counterpart to Vinada's sparkling Chardonnay, and the harder trick of the two. Bubbles paper over a lot in a dealcoholized wine by supplying texture and lift. A still white has nowhere to hide. This one leans on crisp apple, ripe melon and a citrus edge, finishing clean and dry instead of sweetened up to compensate. The fruit is French Chardonnay and the bottle is vegan at 0.0% alcohol. Vinada's own pairing note is seared scallops with a green salad, which reads sensibly given that acidity is doing most of the structural work here. Anything involving butter or lemon will get along with it. Serve it well chilled, and finish it within a day or two of opening, because there is no alcohol in the bottle acting as a preservative once air gets in.