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
Please select the tabs on the left to see our wine pairing guide for each type of shellfish
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Semillon | Pinot Noir | Sangiovese Rose |
Viognier | Sangiovese |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chablis | Pinot Grigio Rose | |
Chardonnay | ||
Viognier | ||
White Graves |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chenin Blanc | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Muscadet | ||
Pinot Grigio | ||
Riesling | ||
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
Semillon |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chablis | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chenin Blanc | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Muscadet | ||
Pinot Grigio | ||
Sauvignon Blanc |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Riesling | ||
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
Viognier |
It depends on how you cook your prawns but simple prawns or prawn linguine is well matched with Albarino
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Chenin Blanc | Merlot | Sangiovese Rose |
White Burgundy | Pinot Noir | |
Sangiovese |
FISH
Please select the applicable tab to see our wine pairing guide for each type of fish
When simply cooked, Cod like similar white fish, is best matched with Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chenin Blanc | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
White Burgundy |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chenin Blanc | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
White Burgundy |
Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice for herrings as they are oily fish and the wine is fairly acidic.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Muscadet | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sancerre | Grenache | Sangiovese Rose |
Viognier | Pinot Noir | |
Sangiovese |
As with herrings, mackerel is oily and benefits from an acidic wine to cut through the oil.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Muscadet | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sancerre | Grenache | Sangiovese Rose |
Viognier | Pinot Noir | |
Sangiovese |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chenin Blanc | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
White Burgundy |
Plaice is a delicate fish and we really wouldn’t recommend drinking red wine with it.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Pinot Grigio | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | Pinot Grigio Rose | |
Semillon |
Pollack is a simple white fish that is best enjoyed with a dry white such as Pinot Grigio
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chenin Blanc | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | ||
White Burgundy |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chardonnay | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Riesling | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
White Burgundy | Grenache | Sangiovese Rose |
Merlot | ||
Pinot Noir | ||
Sangiovese | ||
Valpolicella |
Muscadet is a good choice of wine for oily sardines. They are also lovely served with Viognier
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Muscadet | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Viognier | Pinot Noir |
Sea Bass suits a rounded wine and Chardonnay is a good partner.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Muscadet | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Pinot Grigio | Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Viognier | Pinot Noir |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | Pinot Noir |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chablis | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Pinot Grigio Rose | |
Pinot Grigio | ||
Semillon | ||
White Burgundy | ||
White Graves |
MIXED SEAFOOD
Please select the tabs on the left to see our wine pairing guidance
The best wine to drink with fish pie is a smooth dry white and we would recommend an unoaked chardonnay.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chablis | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Chardonnay | Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Chenin Blanc | Pinot Noir |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Chardonnay | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
White Burgundy | Chianti | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Grenache | Sangiovese Rose | |
Pinot Noir | ||
Sangiovese | ||
Valpolicella |
Fish cooked in light stock based sauces has a delicate flavour that would be best paired with a white such as Pinot Grigio
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Pinot Grigio | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Sauvignon Blanc | Pinot Noir | Pinot Grigio Rose |
Fried fish is best served with Pinot Grigio although one of the light reds listed would be enjoyable too.
White Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Pinot Grigio | Beaujolais | Grenache Rose |
Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose | |
Pinot Noir |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Albarino | Pinot Noir | Grenache Rose |
Grenache | Pinot Grigio Rose | |
Rioja | Sangiovese Ros | |
Sangiovese | ||
Valpolicella |
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 Wines | Red Wines | Rose Wines |
Sauvignon Blanc | Beaujolais | Pinot Grigio Rose |
White Burgundy | Pinot Noir |
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