Fish

Examples of fish – sole, cod, haddock, sea bass, sea bream, sushi, tuna and monkfish.

MATCH DRY WHITE WINE WITH PLAIN GRILLED OR STEAMED FISH

MATCH THE WINE TO ANY SAUCE USED

With fish, it is delicate and light and should be matched with a delicate, light wine e.g. French Chardonnay (Chablis, Pouilly-Fuisse) or Sauvignon Blanc. If you are grilling the fish, you can go for more robust whites such as a New World Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, or even Viognier. This is because the fish won’t be as delicate, as if it were steamed.

If the fish is a meatier one, eg. tuna or monkfish, you can drink a light-bodied, low tannin red wine instead if you prefer e.g. Italian reds, Merlot or even choose a rose. But, if you drink a high tannin red wine with fish you can sometimes experience a metallic taste, so beware!

With fish, please bear in mind the second rule of thumb- matching the wine to any sauce that is used or served with the fish. This needs to be taken into account and has a huge effect. As I said before, think of a wine as an additional ingredient to the whole dish so if you have a fish in a creamy sauce, then a good match is an oaky, creamy Chardonnay. If you are flavouring the fish with herbs and

Sushi is another hurdle as the flavours are delicate, yet the sauces are vinegar based and bitter. Sparkling wines e.g. Champagne, are a very good match for sushi and sashimi and fruity reds or whites complement dishes such as tempura, tepanyaki and yakitorri. Examples of these would be Sauvignon Blanc with it’s herbaceous and gooseberry notes or reds such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Tempranillo.

One other question which I am always asked, is which wine do I drink with fish and chips?! Well, here the dish is quite fatty so you need a high acid white wine to match well. A high acid wine will cut through the oil and balance the meal well. Examples of these are Sauvignon Blanc or Italian whites such as Pinot Grigio.

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