WINE PAIRING GUIDE

 

Which wines you drink should always be a personal choice but when it comes to seafood there are a few general things that should help you make a good choice. Which wine goes with which seafood will be dependent not only on the type of fish or shellfish but also on how it has been prepared. The wines listed on this page are just suggestions and are by no means the only wines that can be enjoyed with seafood.

 

Red Wine with Seafood?

It used to be that fish was never paired with anything but white wine, however with the introduction of lighter reds it is possible to find a red wine that goes well with some fish dishes, although rarely shellfish. The reason that some red wine is not advisable to drink with fish is because red wines contain tannins which react with the iron in fish causing a metallic taste. Bold red wines will also overpower the delicate taste of shellfish and flatfish like sole and plaice.
For those of you who only drink red or rose wines, we have included a red and rose option. However, as indicated in some of the notes, some seafood is far better paired with a white wine.

A few things to bear in mind:

  • If you have a simple white fish dish or fish that has been prepared in a light stock based sauce it is beneficial to pick a white wine that will not overshadow the delicate flavours
  • If you are eating oily fish like salmon and mackerel it is a good idea to choose a wine with a high acidic content to cut through the oil.
  • If you enjoy red wine then salmon is your best seafood to pick or fish that has been cooked in a rich, tomato based sauce.
  • If you want to drink red wine make sure you pick a light one that has a low tannin content to prevent any metallic taste.
Shellfish

SHELLFISH

Please select the tabs on the left to see our wine pairing guide for each type of shellfish

Crab

Crab is a delicate meat and it is important to choose a wine that doesn’t overpower the flavour.  For this reason oaked wines are best avoided. White wine is best for crab.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
SemillonPinot NoirSangiovese Rose
ViognierSangiovese
Lobster

Lobster is another very delicate meat with a subtle flavour – again we would always recommend a white wine or, of course, champagne!  Lobster Thermidor goes particularly well with Chardonnay or Viognier

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChablisPinot Grigio Rose
Chardonnay
Viognier
White Graves
Mussels

If you are having moules marinieres then Muscadet would be the perfect choice as this is the main ingredient of the dish and goes wonderfully with mussels.If your mussels are cooked in a rich tomato based sauce then a light red or rose would also be delicious

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Chenin BlancPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Muscadet
Pinot Grigio
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Oysters

Raw oysters and Chablis or Muscadet go very well together. If you are going to drink Sauvignon with them you may want to leave off the squirt of lemon.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
ChablisBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Chenin BlancPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Muscadet
Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon Blanc
Scallops

Scallops have a delicate flavour and oaked wines should therefore be avoided. Sauted scallops go particularly well with Sauvignon Blanc or even Pinot Noir whereas scallops in a creamy sauce are lovely with Chardonnay

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Viognier
Prawns / Shrimp

It depends on how you cook your prawns but simple prawns or prawn linguine is well matched with Albarino

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
Chenin BlancMerlotSangiovese Rose
White BurgundyPinot Noir
Sangiovese
Fish

FISH

Please select the applicable tab to see our wine pairing guide for each type of fish

Cod

When simply cooked, Cod like similar white fish, is best matched with Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Chenin BlancBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Sauvignon Blanc
White Burgundy
Haddock

Grilled haddock is lovely with any of the white wines listed below. If you are eating smoked haddock then white burgundy is a good choice.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Chenin BlancBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Sauvignon Blanc
White Burgundy
Herring

Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice for herrings as they are oily fish and the wine is fairly acidic.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
MuscadetBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
SancerreGrenacheSangiovese Rose
ViognierPinot Noir
Sangiovese
Mackerel

As with herrings, mackerel is oily and benefits from an acidic wine to cut through the oil.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
MuscadetBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
SancerreGrenacheSangiovese Rose
ViognierPinot Noir
Sangiovese
Monkfish

Monkfish is often served wrapped in proscuitto with Mediterranean flavours. When cooked like this it is actually best suited to a Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.Cooked simply we would recommend selecting one of the white wines listed.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Chenin BlancBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Sauvignon Blanc
White Burgundy
Plaice

Plaice is a delicate fish and we really wouldn’t recommend drinking red wine with it.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Pinot GrigioBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Sauvignon BlancPinot Grigio Rose
Semillon
Pollock

Pollack is a simple white fish that is best enjoyed with a dry white such as Pinot Grigio

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Chenin BlancBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Sauvignon Blanc
White Burgundy
Salmon

Salmon is an oily fish that is best enjoyed with an acidic wine.Salmon is one of the few wines that goes well with red wine and is particularly good with Merlot

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
ChardonnayBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
RieslingChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
White BurgundyGrenacheSangiovese Rose
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Valpolicella
Sardines

Muscadet is a good choice of wine for oily sardines. They are also lovely served with Viognier

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
MuscadetBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioGrenachePinot Grigio Rose
ViognierPinot Noir
Sea Bass

Sea Bass suits a rounded wine and Chardonnay is a good partner.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
MuscadetBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Pinot GrigioGrenachePinot Grigio Rose
ViognierPinot Noir
Smoked Mackerel

Albarino is a good partner to smoked mackerel. Smoked mackerel is also one of the few fish dishes that go well with an oaked chardonnay

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayGrenachePinot Grigio Rose
Sauvignon BlancPinot Noir
Sole

As with plaice, sole is a delicately flavoured flat fish and we would recommend that a white wine is chosen for the best results.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
ChablisBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayPinot Grigio Rose
Pinot Grigio
Semillon
White Burgundy
White Graves
Mixed Seafood

MIXED SEAFOOD

Please select the tabs on the left to see our wine pairing guidance

Fish Pie

The best wine to drink with fish pie is a smooth dry white and we would recommend an unoaked chardonnay.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
ChablisBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
ChardonnayGrenachePinot Grigio Rose
Chenin BlancPinot Noir
Fish in Rich Sauce

Fish cooked in rich sauces, especially those with a tomato base can be paired with a lot of different wines. If you are a red wine lover then this is the best way to cook fish.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
ChardonnayBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
White BurgundyChiantiPinot Grigio Rose
GrenacheSangiovese Rose
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Valpolicella
Fish in Light Sauce

Fish cooked in light stock based sauces has a delicate flavour that would be best paired with a white such as Pinot Grigio

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Pinot GrigioBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
Sauvignon BlancPinot NoirPinot Grigio Rose
Fried Fish

Fried fish is best served with Pinot Grigio although one of the light reds listed would be enjoyable too.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Pinot GrigioBeaujolaisGrenache Rose
GrenachePinot Grigio Rose
Pinot Noir
Paella

Paella is a dish from Spain that is full of flavour. We recommend staying with Spain for the wine choice and would suggest Alberino for a white choice and Rioja for a red choice.

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
AlbarinoPinot NoirGrenache Rose
GrenachePinot Grigio Rose
RiojaSangiovese Ros
Sangiovese
Valpolicella
Sushi

A plate of sushi has lots of different flavours so the wine you choose needs to be able to compliment these.  White Burgundy works well with sushi as does a Pinot Grigio Rose

White WinesRed WinesRose Wines
Sauvignon BlancBeaujolaisPinot Grigio Rose
White BurgundyPinot Noir