What To Pair With Aldi's Award-Winning Under-$10 Chardonnay

With a simple drawing of a blue hot air balloon on an olive-green bottle, the Elliot Cooper chardonnay looks elegant and classic. Though it will cost you just under $10, it tastes like it should be priced much higher than that. And it's not just budget shoppers that say so. It's one of the best wines you can buy at Aldi, and it even made it on the list of winners for 2026's Product of the Year.

If you're heading to Aldi to pick it up (Elliot Cooper chardonnay is exclusive to the chain), you might as well grab dinner too. So what should you serve alongside it? This wine is well-balanced, leaning into the toasty, buttery, rich notes you'd expect, but it still has some notable acidity and light fruit flavors. That makes it full-bodied enough to hold its own and bring some lift to creamy pasta sauces, fatty seared salmon, and dark meat chicken but light enough to pair with roasted vegetables or a snacking board built around the best cheeses you can buy at Aldi.

For a quick and easy dinner, frozen Aldi Specially Selected Mussels in Tomato Garlic Sauce are a great choice — toss them with spaghetti and Priano Rosso Pesto or just go at it with some toasted bread. Though customers are split on Aldi's lobster ravioli, if you're a fan, Elliot Cooper chardonnay is an ideal pairing. When you've got time to cook something homemade, go for chicken thighs or Aldi's fan-favorite salmon. Glaze seared or roasted portions with Berryhill Hot Honey, and serve your preferred protein alongside roasted sweet potatoes and a simple green salad. You can also pair this wine with desserts, like Aldi's sweet seasonal Marzipan Mousse Cake, the Bake Shop All Butter Pound Cake, or cheesecake.

Though this award-winning wine is sold under a private label at Aldi, where it's produced isn't a secret. The Elliot Cooper chardonnay is made by Trinchero Family Estates, based in the Napa Valley region of California, and the grapes themselves are sourced from several coastal vineyards. This sizable producer is behind brands such as Sutter Home, Ménage à Trois, Napa Cellars, and Bieler Père et Fils, among many others, as well as several spirits and non-alcoholic wines.

The Elliot Cooper chardonnay is aged in French and American oak, giving it a typical buttery roundness and notes of toasted almond. Despite the barrel aging, the Elliot Cooper chardonnay doesn't have an overwhelmingly oaky profile. "The taste [is] bitter citrus, sweet honeysuckle, tart pineapple, bitter golden kiwi, chalk, skinless almonds, and oak. Great finish but [tastes] like it's unoaked. This will be used in my seafood risotto," wrote one Vivino reviewer. Of course, there's nothing wrong with sipping on a cold glass all on its own. Here's what another fan of this wine had to say: "This is a great chardonnay at the price point! Peach and melon in the nose. Whipped almond butter and subtle yeast on the [palate]. Lovely for one of the first warm days leading into spring on the porch" (via Vivino).