Colombard Wine: 10 Best Bottles (2024), Taste, Prices, Food Pairings

Colombard, an offspring of Chenin Blanc and Gouais Blanc, is a white wine grape variety, originating from the Charente region in France. 

The French traditionally used the Colombard grape to produce the base wine for distilling Cognac and Armagnac, like white Floc de Gascogne. 

Today, this white grape is used in classic Bordeaux wine blends and to produce easy-drinking varietal wines.

Let’s look at what Colombard tastes like, some food pairing ideas, 10 fantastic Colombard wines to buy, and more.

What Does Colombard Wine Taste Like?

The Colombard grape is relatively neutral in flavor - the reason why it’s widely used as a blending grape. Its natural acidic character also makes it useful in distilling. 

Although this white wine grape is never seen listed among top wine grapes, some producers have found success in making varietal Colombard wine. 

These wines tend to have a distinct guava flavor with good acidity, which lends to a crisp, tart finish. Colombard wines often include flavors of green apple, sweet melon, peach, and bitter almonds. 

10 Superb Colombard Wines To Buy In 2024

Here are a few phonomenal Colombard wines: 

• 2020 Naude Langpad Old Vines Colombard, Western Cape, South Africa
• 2020 Testalonga El Bandito ‘I Wish I Was A Ninja’, Swartland, South Africa
• 2018 Rubus White Blend, Vin de France
• 2019 Primo Estate la Biondina Colombard, Adelaide Hills, Australia
• 2019 Mont Gravet Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France
• 2018 Domaine Duffour Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France
• 2019 Two Birds One Stone Blanc, Vin de France
• 2013 Domaine d’Arton Les Hauts d’Arton, Côtes de Gascogne, France
• 2020 Boutinot Cuvee Jean Paul Blanc Sec, Côtes de Gascogne, France
• 2020 Domaine Horgelus Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France

1. 2020 Naude Langpad Old Vines Colombard, Western Cape, South Africa ($33)

The wine has a gorgeous nose of white peach and passionfruit. The palate displays pear and peach flavors, a salty freshness, and crisp acidity.

2. 2020 Testalonga El Bandito ‘I Wish I Was A Ninja’, Swartland, South Africa ($27) 

It is a well-balanced Pétillant Naturel Colombard with rich flavors of ripe fruit, gooseberry jam, and golden apple. A smooth mousse leads to a mouthwatering acidity and wonderful freshness.

3. 2018 Rubus White Blend, Vin de France ($14)

A Vin de France blend of Ugni Blanc, Gros Manseng, and Colombard, this wine offers scents of tropical fruit, citrus, and grapefruit. Flavors of passion fruit, and citrus lead to a crisp acidity.

4. 2019 Primo Estate la Biondina Colombard, Adelaide Hills, Australia ($12)

It has a fresh, aromatic nose with subtle hints of passion fruit and pineapple. A palate of green apples, lychee, and peach lead to a clean, crisp, uncomplicated finish.

5. 2019 Mont Gravet Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France ($11)

This varietal wine provides a rich aroma of peach, pear, and minerals giving way to a palate of peach, melon, apricot, and honey.

6. 2018 Domaine Duffour Côtes de Gascogne Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France ($11)

Resembling a Cabernet Sauvignon, this Colombard wine offers a herbal, slightly floral aroma. When tasting, hints of melon, citrus, green apple, lime, and pineapple lead to a complex finish.

7. 2019 Two Birds One Stone Blanc, Vin de France ($11)

This varietal wine gives a subtle nose of lychee, lime, and white pepper. A medium body and acidity with flavors of green apples, lime, mango, and pineapple.

8. 2013 Domaine d’Arton Les Hauts d’Arton, Côtes de Gascogne, France ($8)

A straw yellow in the glass, this Colombard wine offers citrus and exotic fruits on the nose. Good acidity leads to mellow flavors of citrus, apples, and lemon zest.

9. 2020 Boutinot Cuvee Jean Paul Blanc Sec, Côtes de Gascogne, France ($8)

Made with a blend of Colombard and Ugni Blanc, this wine has a subtle nose of lime and guava. Flavors of green fruit and figs on the palate end with that natural acidic character. 

10. 2020 Domaine Horgelus Blanc, Côtes de Gascogne, France ($8)

Tropical with exotic fruits, this French Colombard wine offers grapefruit, gooseberry, and guava notes on the nose and palate.

Next, let’s look at some of the prominent Colombard growing regions. 

What Food Can You Pair with Colombard? 

Since Colombard is so often blended with tart, mouthwatering Sauvignon Blancs or Chardonnays, it’s an excellent choice for sushi, shrimp ceviche, and a wide variety of other fish dishes. 

Colombard wines also pair beautifully with appetizers like croquettes or nachos. 

A cheese plate featuring cheddar and gruyere will also serve as an excellent pair with Colombard.

Where is Colombard grown?

Colombard may have originated in the Charente region, but today it’s grown worldwide. Some of the most prominent Colombard wine regions include:

• France
• California
• Australia
• South Africa
• Israel

A. France

• Bordeaux: In Bordeaux, southwest France, Colombard is one of the 12 permitted white grape varieties for the white wine blend of Bordeaux Blanc. 
• Charentes: With its origins as the birthplace of Cognac, it makes sense that Colombard is naturally one of the three main grapes (the other two being Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche) still used to produce the distilled wine. Among the three, it has the least acidity and the highest alcohol content, making it the least favored. 
• Gascony: In the Côtes de Gascogne appellation, Colombard is extensively used to produce vins de pays (table wine.) 

B. California

Known as French Colombard in the US, this white wine grape thrives in the hot, dry climate of California. 

Northern Californian producers actively blend it with Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Shiraz. It also grows in Mendocino, Russian River Valley, and the Suisun Valley. 

C. Australia 

Australia has many Colombard vineyards where the grapes are harvested for blending with Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. 

D. South Africa 

Locally known as Colombar, this grape variety has been planted in the region since the 1920s. Today, it’s one of South Africa’s most grown grape varieties used to produce semi-dry table wine bottles.

E. Israel

Colombard is the most planted white wine variety in Israel, first landing on its shores sometime in the 1970s. The grapes are mainly used to make the country’s most famous brandies and sparkling wines.

A Brief History Of Colombard

Being primarily a blending grape, Colombard lost popularity between the 1960s to 80s. During this time, Colombard was mainly used in brandy production, and many producers considered Ugni Blanc a superior option for this purpose. 

However, that wasn’t always the case. It was the most planted white grapevine in California until Chardonnay took its crown in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The last few decades have seen Colombard come into the light again, creating delicious and refreshing white wine blends in both France and the New World regions. 

More recently, California winemakers began using Colombard to make refreshing white wines. The grape’s ability to retain its acidity in hot, dry environments makes it popular throughout the Central Valley.

Colombard: A Refreshing and Crisp Wine

Single-varietal Colombard wine bottles are refreshing, crisp, and offer a perfect opening to a lazy evening. Only, it’s not a wine you would want in your cellar for the long term.

However, it is a key contributor to age-worthy Bordeaux blends, which should be on your radar as an investor!

If you’re looking to invest in Bordeaux bottles or other fine wines, visit the Vinovest website. It offers a simple and easy way to buy, store, and sell investment-worthy wines from around the world.