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Alcoholic Beverage, Wine, Table, White, Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a dry white table wine with a density of 0.991 g/ml—slightly lighter than water but nearly equivalent for practical purposes. A cup weighs approximately 234 g; a tablespoon weighs about 14.7 g. Like all dry table wines, the slight sub-water density results from the presence of ethanol (0.789 g/ml), partially offset by dissolved sugars, acids, and minerals. Chardonnay is the most widely used white wine in cooking: it deglazes pans, forms the base of cream sauces, poaching liquids, and risottos, and adds acidity and body to fish and chicken dishes. Unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay is preferred for delicate sauces; heavily oaked styles can impart a bitter, woody note when reduced. Any dry white wine can be substituted by weight using this same conversion.
What is Alcoholic Beverage, Wine, Table, White, Chardonnay?
Chardonnay is a dry white table wine with a density of 0.991 g/ml—slightly lighter than water but nearly equivalent for practical purposes. A cup weighs approximately 234 g; a tablespoon weighs about 14.7 g. Like all dry table wines, the slight sub-water density results from the presence of ethanol (0.789 g/ml), partially offset by dissolved sugars, acids, and minerals. Chardonnay is the most widely used white wine in cooking: it deglazes pans, forms the base of cream sauces, poaching liquids, and risottos, and adds acidity and body to fish and.
Liquids are not interchangeable with water in weight terms. Density changes with fat, sugar, and dissolved solids, so the same cup can convert above or below water-based assumptions. Use these density-based gram values when scaling sauces, drinks, and dressings.
Chef note:Chefs scale sauces by weight because density shifts quietly change flavor balance.
Quick convert
- US cup = 236.588 mL
- 1 tbsp = 14.787 mL
- 1 tsp = 4.929 mL
Kitchen Conversion Chart
Cups, tbsp, tsp, mL and oz — all in one printable reference for oils, liquids, dairy and sauces.
Beverages
Sugary drinks and juices are significantly denser than plain water due to dissolved solids. Converting 'cups' to grams is the best way to accurately track sugar intake or mix precise cocktails and punches.
FAQ
- Does red wine weigh more than white wine per cup?
- The difference is negligible. Red wines average around 0.994 g/ml and white wines around 0.991 g/ml—a difference of about 1 g per cup. For any cooking or baking purpose, you can use the same gram conversion regardless of wine color.
- Can I substitute chicken broth for Chardonnay by weight in a recipe?
- By weight, yes—broth (approximately 1.010 g/ml) and Chardonnay (0.991 g/ml) are close enough that substituting the same gram amount changes hydration by under 2%. The flavor will differ significantly (broth adds sodium and umami; wine adds acidity and fruitiness), but the structural effect in a recipe is similar.
- Does oaked vs. unoaked Chardonnay have a different density?
- No. Oaking affects flavor compounds at trace concentrations—not enough to measurably change density or gram weight. The 0.991 g/ml value applies to both oaked and unoaked Chardonnay. The practical difference between them is entirely about flavor, not mass.