Great Wines for Seafood
And yes, reds are an option.
By Erin Henderson
I love seafood all year round, but lately I’ve been on a real bender. Shrimp ceviche is on repeat, scallop crudo has made the menu for a few special occasions, and halibut, sometimes steamed in a banana leaf, as I learned in an Indian cooking class, or grilled with garlic scape pesto is a favourite dinner.
When pairing wine with seafood and fish, you want to really consider the weights of each. Usually, a bright, light white works best with raw and lightly prepared seafoods while richer dishes can handle weightier whites or even red wines.
Related: the rules to food and wine pairing
In addition to weight, you need to consider the preparation – lemon, capers, mignonette, and other zippy sauces will steer pairings to high acid whites. However, cook that same fish with tomato sauce, caponata, or lentils, and red wines would likely make a better match.
When in doubt, there’s always champagne. That’s a general rule for everything in life.
Raw, crudo, ceviche and mild sushi styles
Simple preparations, or dishes that have very light flavours like citrus, olive oil, or gently salty influences from nori or soy sauce, a bright, light white like Loire’s Muscadet, Santorini’s Assyrtiko, or Picpoul from the south of France, works perfectly.
Fried
My favourite pairing for fried foods like shrimp tempura, classic fish and chips, fritto misto, and fried calamari is brut sparkling wine. I love the whimsy of the high-low pairing, but beyond that, the bubbles seem to scrub away the excess oil, while the salt in the food really perks up the fruit in the wine. If you feel at all self-conscious about cracking open a bottle of Dom Perignon at your local fish fry (though I don’t know why you would), other, more subtle, yet equally delicious options include dry Riesling, Chablis, or good Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy.
Rich fish and seafood
With richer dishes like lobster with butter, seared scallops, or grilled halibut or bass, a white wine with a bit more texture and weight is a better option. Think silky Chardonnay, rich Viognier, or white Rhône wines made from Marsanne and Rousanne.
Oily, full-flavoured fish
Fatty fish that are often darker in colour – salmon, anchovies, mackerel, ahi tuna – light reds and bold rosés work well as they have the tart, red fruit acidity to lift the oily meat, but also lack the firm tannins that would overwhelm a fish. Pinot Noir is a classic pairing for salmon, while a hearty rosé, such as Tavel, makes a lovely pairing for anchovies whether served whole, or in a preparation like Caesar salad dressing or garlicky bagna càuda.