(42 ~45) I received a few emails concerning matching wines
with different kinds of fish. While I got a sense from a few
readers that all they really wanted was my “OK” for them to
drink their favourite red wine with red snapper, a couple of
readers wanted me to go a little deeper.
Can you drink red with fish? Of course you can. And I’m
not joining the current fashion of certain sommeliers who
believe that you should “drink what you want.” You can, but
my feeling is that it is a bit of a waste if you can go for a
marriage that will truly benefit both what you are eating and
your wine. When you get that perfect, or even near-perfect
match, then you create an even greater taste sensation. It’s
also a waste if you drink wines that are too powerful or not
strong enough for what’s on your plate. Too strong a wine
and you can overpower the taste of the fish; too weak a
wine and you might as well be drinking water. Texture is also
an important consideration.
So let’s dial down the fish thing. For all you red-wine-only
drinkers, you have many opportunities to legitimately
avoid whites. You just have to pick the right type of fish,
and/or preparation.
The first thing to look at is what kind of fish you are
cooking. Is it a light and flaky, or meaty and rich? For more
delicately flavoured, non-oily fish like tilapia, sole, haddock
and perch, you want to drink a similarly delicate wine.
Unless they are battered and fried, which changes things,
these types of fish are generally served with just a wedge of
lemon. This is your clue. Go for higher acid, citrusy whites
like a New Zealand or Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner
Veltliner, Vinho Verde or an Assyrtiko from Greece.
For slightly weightier fish, but still delicately flavoured,
like trout, cod, red snapper, sablefish and swordfish, you can
go for a richer white. Soave, white Burgundy, Rhône whites,
Chenin Blanc and southern Italian whites like Fiano are
perfect. They aren’t too powerfully flavoured, but offer the
right palate weight for the fish.
Now, for all you red wine drinkers: darker fleshed fish
like salmon and tuna is where you can start cracking open
the Pinot Noirs and Cru Beaujolais. While I have
experimented with nearly every style of white wine, there is
something about the marriage of a silkier, red fruited Pinot
and salmon that just works. If you want to stay thematic to
the summer, you can open a good Rosé as well, but serve it
around 12°C.
And finally, for the family of oilier, strong flavoured fish
like mackerel and sardines, as well as smoked fish, you need
to bring out equally powerful wines. Both red and whites
can work here. You still aren’t opening a Napa Cabernet, but
I have had Barolo with mackerel, and the oil in the fish is a
nice counterpoint to the tannins. Riesling and Alsatian Pinot
Gris also work very well.