Weekend Sip: Do you like Martha Stewart and Chardonnay? Then here’s a wine for you

Stewart has moved increasingly into the world of vino of late. She started a wine company — the Martha Stewart Wine Co., to be exact — a few years ago. And now, she has partnered with 19 Crimes, a label that launched in 2012, on a Chardonnay, which is indeed simply called Martha’s Chard. It’s perhaps a perfect fit in that 19 Crimes already has a partnership with Snoop Dogg, a frequent Stewart collaborator.

The 19 Crimes team said they wanted to work with Stewart because of her creative style and ties to Snoop. The label’s name refers to the British convicts who were banished to Australia for any of 19 particular crimes — in other words, people who were often rebels “who beat the odds and overcame adversity to become folk heroes,” the 19 Crimes folks say. In the label’s view, “that spirit lives on through innovators like Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart.”

It’s perhaps no surprise that 19 Crimes and Stewart chose a Chardonnay for their collaboration. The varietal remains a solid favorite — a recent report noted that it is the second most popular white-wine varietal on the alcohol-ordering platform Drizly, accounting for 25.3% of white-wine sales. Still, the report noted that growth is slowing.

What we think about it

Martha’s Chard is a California Chardonnay, a style that can be notoriously heavy and oaky — some folks go for it, but I generally like something a little crisper. But the 19 Crimes team says that Stewart “wanted to create a wine that breaks (those) preconceived notions.” And that’s what they’ve done: It’s lighter and more acidic —refreshing to a certain point, but still with a little bit of heft. In all, a good bottle at a very good price.

How to enjoy it

If you give this a little time in the fridge, it will be the perfect pre-dinner summer sip. But if you want to pair it with food, you can go with Stewart’s suggestion — namely, her fettuccine Alfredo with lemon.