Pairings

Like fish in… wine
«Gastronom» №4(27) April 2004

“Fish and wine? What’s the fuss?” — perhaps, will be your line of thinking.

Everything is in the books already: reds are for meat, whites are for fish. Well, this time we tend to agree with the tradition and will jump into the sea of white wines, where Chardonnay and Albarino are in abundance.

Let me unveil the big secret at once. For an ideal marriage between fish and wine it is necessary to look at two things. They are fish texture and a method of cooking. They dictate the choice of drinks so below we will be discussing in detail various types of fish and their culinary use.

We’ll start with the light fish. Cod, seabass or bream have delicate taste which can be easily overwhelmed by rich sauces and other bright surroundings, including wine. The simpler the fish is cooked, the simpler is the wine accompaniment. For light white fish that was poached, grilled or steamed light and fresh wines will suit best. The world-favourite Chardonnay grape can be of good service, only choose the unoaked examples. Burgundy lovers can match the dishes with plenty a white wine from Chablis, Macon or Chalon (without breaking the bank).

If you find simply cooked meals boring and prefer to spice up light white fish with herbs or serve it with sauce, then you should consider fruity Sauvignon Blanc from any winemaking region, but especially from the French Loire. Its refreshing acidity easily cuts through the layers of new flavours which enhance the basic fish, and works nicely in the background. Same attributes work for crisp white Italian wines Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio and dry German Rieslings.

I’d like to break for a wine about which you probably will hear for the first time. Fish definitely loves this wine because it comes from Spanish Galicia, a region famous for its fish and seafood all over Europe. It is called Albarino and is made from the similar-called grape. Albarino possesses a unique quality to have two contrary features in a glass — crispy taste and creaminess. Add pure aromas of quince, almonds, ginger and lemons and you will get an unmatched partner for any fish (and seafood).

Now we will be moving to fish with meatier texture. Turbot and monkfish that fall under this category have nonetheless a mild flavour. For them we will again choose Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Albarino. This expensive fish often features in restaurant menus where is it served with rich creamy sauces. In this case the sauce will be beneficially highlighted by a good white Burgundy wine. Also one can experiment with reds — soft Pinot Noir or even juicy Merlot.

Salmon is rich and oily so the wine should be rather strong in character not to be left in the shadow of the reigning fish. Chardonnay can be your answer. Also try Verdeho from Australia, top Chenin Blanc from the Loire or South Africa, full Riesling from Alsace, Austria or Australia. Rose wines, too, will be a nice match as well as ligh, slightly chilled red wines from Gamay, Cabernet Franc or Pinot Noir grapes. Smoked salmon and Champagne is one of the classical food matches.

Sardines and mackerel have a stronger taste than salmon. The Spanish adore to grill sardines and to serve them with dry Fino Sherry. The alliance is superb — Sherry admirably deals with the smoky flavours and cuts through the oily flesh. White French Pinot Gris may also do the job.

Tuna and swordfish are some of the meatiest fish around. Indeed, a good piece of tuna will actually look like a beef steak so we should forget about our white wine rule in this instance. Try any rose or red Italian wines — Valpolicella or young Chianti, especially if the fish is served together with other strong flavours.

A couple of words about rose wines. If you ever traveled in Provence, you have surely noticed a wonderful marriage between local roses and Mediterranean fish dishes generously cooked with olive oil, garlic, herbs and spices. An exemplary case is bouillabaisse, a traditional Provencal fish stew with olive oil, saffron and dried orange peel, usually served with croutons and burning peppery-garlicky mayonnaise. The taste of many wines can be killed by such strong ingredients, but not Provencal roses. Bright fruity flavours and full body make them unsurpassable for bouillabaisse and other hearty fish dishes.

Another, seemingly difficult choice concerns our much loved Japanese cuisine. Sushi with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce are rather capricious with their vinous partners, so let’s follow the advice of the Japanese and try some young French Chablis. At present a lot of sushi lovers find the match with Champagne as excellent, and for salmon dishes it is worth trying soft white oaked Bordeaux.

‘How about our favourite herring?’ — you will ask. I am afraid that I won’t be able to invent a more classical match than vodka, but for great experiments I would risk to offer dry white wines with high acidity from the Loire — Sauvignon Blanc and Chenen Blanc and dry Spanish Fino Sherry. Who knows, maybe you’ll like it…