Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis Review: This Natural Partnership Creates A Satisfactory Pairing
The word "perfect" may be inherently hyperbolic. Yet considering the number of culinary pairings that combine blissfully, it's easy to forgive the term's common usage. Take white wine and crackers — quite frankly, the borderline perfection of this pairing with or without cheese is self-evident to anyone who's ever nibbled on a box of Club Minis alongside a glass of Butter Chardonnay. This helps explain why those two popular brands recently joined forces to create a cracker made with wine.
Now, the folks at JaM Cellars, which produces Butter Chardonnay, and Club crackers didn't concoct a boozy cracker prone to raise one's blood alcohol content — the white wine's alcohol cooks off during the production process. Still, we were immensely intrigued by this symbiotic oddity. And seeing how the new, special edition Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers do, in fact, use the popular JaM Cellars wine as an actual ingredient, we simply had to try some.
With our curiosity piqued by this bizarre new cracker flavor, we were able to obtain a box to taste test along with a bottle of the Butter Chardonnay that inspired its creation courtesy of JaM Cellars and Club crackers. If you're wondering what to make of this new, limited-time item, keep reading, as we review the Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers.
What's in Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis?
We're not sure there's a whole lot to say regarding what's in the new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers. After all, the very name of this special edition flavor indicates precisely what a person can expect to find. Lo and behold, listed among the actual ingredients for these Club Minis crackers variety is, drum roll, please ... Butter Chardonnay. More than that, the JaM Cellars' white wine is listed before the group of items comprising "less than 2% of" the product, meaning Butter Chardonnay is a key ingredient.
Now, as you may have expected, these crackers require more than just alcohol to become, well, a cracker. Beyond the expected white wine, the new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers include other usual suspects found in crackers including a number of the exact same ingredients used to make the original Club Minis version. The limited-availability crackers feature enriched flour — made with wheat flour, and several vitamins and minerals — vegetable oil, and modified corn starch, among other components.
Additionally, as is the case with just about every modern, heavily processed food, Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis contain added sugar, as well.
How much do Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis cost?
Given the widespread availability of Club Minis crackers, some readers may quite reasonably be under the impression this newest variety would be sold for a similar price point of around $4. However, as a special edition, limited-time product, the Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers will put a slightly heavier dent in your wallet — they cost a comparatively whopping $30 per box.
Now, there's a crucial caveat to keep in mind with that $30 price tag; namely, the fact that you aren't just buying a box of crackers. Any consumers who are able to obtain the new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis — available exclusively online starting August 14, 2023 — are actually purchasing what's been called the Ultimate Butter Box. In addition to the new special edition Club Minis crackers, customers aged 21 and over will receive a four-pack of 250 milliliter ButterCans and an insulated tote bag.
For those less inclined to spend money on an Ultimate Butter Box, folks can enter the Butter Club Getaway Sweepstakes contest beginning August 7 and ending August 31, 2023, for a chance to win several boxes of Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis among additional prizes.
How long are Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis available?
As we briefly noted in the previous slide, you aren't likely to find the new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers for sale at any brick-and-mortar location. In fact, if you're a Butter Chardonnay fan intrigued by these white wine-infused crackers and wondering whether the item will elevate your next wine and cheese gathering, you'll have to beat the online traffic starting August 14 at the JaM Cellars website.
Now, we'd love nothing more than to provide interested customers with an actual, particular time frame for the Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis' availability. Unfortunately, as it's only being offered while supplies last, there's no specific end date in mind for this special edition cracker flavor.
Additionally, it's unclear just how many Ultimate Butter Boxes will be made available, either. In other words, if you're determined to sample these unusual crackers, you won't want to wait too long once they're released.
What is the nutrition info for Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis?
The nutritional deficiency of alcohol is widely known throughout the world, so we'd forgive any readers for presuming the addition of white wine would make this new Club Minis variety much less healthy than a cracker made without Butter Chardonnay. However, the nutrition info for the Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis is essentially the same as that found in the original version – perhaps owing to the lack of actual alcohol found in the final product.
For example, the new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis contain the identical 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, and 140 calories per serving as the original, with each containing a miniscule (if not insignificant) 0.9 milligrams of iron in each serving, as well. Of course, since we mentioned the two varieties are essentially the same, there are a few minor differences present. The new Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis only contain 200 milligrams of sodium per serving (compared to 300 in the original Club Minis), and 21 grams of total carbohydrates — versus 20 milligrams in the original version.
How does it compare to other Club & Butter products?
Considering the original Club Minis crackers are prominently available throughout the nation, it's fairly easy to conduct a comparison. The original Club Minis crackers are well-known for possessing a subtly salty and buttery flavor, after all, so most readers are likely wondering how this special edition version stands up to the classic cracker.
In that regard, there's virtually no visible differences between the two products, as you'd imagine. At first bite, it's difficult to determine any sort of distinguishable difference between varieties. However, the faint flavor of Butter Chardonnay present after that initial moment provides a wholly unique experience compared to consuming the original Club Minis crackers.
Additionally, while the majority of ingredients listed for the original Club Minis variety and its Butter Chardonnay-enhanced version are identical, a few deviations are notable. Beyond Butter Chardonnay, which isn't found in the original variety, the special edition crackers have a very small amount of cream and butter, as well — perhaps to help offset the intense flavors brought by the white wine.
Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis verdict: Be sure to enjoy the crackers and wine together
Our opinion of this undeniably unique new flavor can be split in half. How Club & Butter Chardonnay Minis crackers taste alone is one matter, and how the crackers taste when paired with a glass of Butter Chardonnay is another. And like Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) on "Community," we have to tell you we've got good news and bad news. The good news? The crackers' wine-infused flavors make it a dynamite snack to enjoy with its symbiotic side kick. Of course, the corresponding and potentially obvious bad news is that these crackers won't tickle your taste buds if enjoyed sans chardonnay.
Unsurprisingly, the Butter Chardonnay is the likely culprit for these contradictory levels of snacking enjoyment. For instance, when the alcohol-reduced flavors found in the crackers are combined with the wine itself, it creates a delightful experience. But without a glass of wine, the lingering Butter Chardonnay notes tasted reminiscent of stale, day-old booze.
To be clear, we didn't notice this issue with the crackers when concurrently sipping Butter Chardonnay. Since the entire appeal of this special edition flavor of Club Minis lies in the product's inherent link to JaM Cellars' popular Butter Chardonnay, it's no wonder that it works best when eaten alongside the titular wine. In that regard, if you're planning to nosh on these limited-time Club Minis while sipping a glass of cold Butter chardonnay, you'll likely find the experience exceedingly pleasant.