Unlocking the Secrets of Wine and Fish Pairing: Tips and Tricks for Finding the Perfect Match

Which wine should I pair with fish?

A million-dollar question!

If you have risotto, focus on flavor and salt and choose wines like if you have to eat fried, a sparkling and fragrant wine like Prosecco (Cava, Malvasia, Cremant) is perfect.If you are about to face grilled fish, a fresh and decisive white wine such as Verdicchio di Jesi (or Gruner Veltliner) is ideal.

Some wines are the classic “jack of all trades, master of none,” such as pink wines, which pair well with a variety of fish dishes.

If we wanted to draw up a list of the best wines to pair with fish dishes, would we be able to find bottles worthy of your cellar?

We don’t want to provide you with “the ultimate guide to pairing Bla Bla Bla,” as soon as we have an excellent selection of wines we have tried and that we have no problem “advising.” They all have reasonable prices and are artisanal and as natural as possible. You won’t find

Here are some bottles that could be right for you or your guests for fish dinners, all with an impeccable quality-price ratio. Opening a 2004 Crystal for a sardine skewer is a very kind thing to do, but it’s not something that can be done anymore.

Fried fish pairing: Principessa Pas Dosé, Luretta Winery

Thirty-six months of aging on the lees make this sparkling wine complex, articulate, and full of facets. The base is a classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and offers an intriguing, mineral, woody bouquet with fern, peach, and balsamic notes that court aromas of pastry and bread crust. In the mouth, it is full-bodied, elegant, and refined, with silky bubbles perfect for keeping company with fried fish and shellfish. Prosecco, cava, and a simple spumante are great too.

Wine for fish carbonara and hearty dishes: Salarola, Tocai, Moscato, Riesling

Maria Gioia Rossellini (Ca’ Orologio winery) is a name that resounds like an Argentine bell in the Euganean Hills: authentic, intense wines that highlight volcanic soils that have offered wines of unique elegance and character for millennia. The white of the house is an opulent wine, broad and cheeky due to the richness of the bouquet. It is full-bodied, savory, and voluptuous on the palate, with a greedy flavor and a spicy finish that envelops the whole mouth. If you are dealing with demanding, prosperous, and highly seasoned dishes, keep a bottle of this excellent white wine always within reach of the corkscrew. To be combined with grilled eel, fish carbonara, and paella.

Wine for steamed or salted fish: Valtènesi Doc Chiaretto, La moglie ubriaca (the drunken wife)

What about this splendid rosé, except that it is one of the most drinkable and delicate wines you can ever drink? On the nose, flowers, small fruits, and minerals come back. The wine has a thin, vertical mouth, a well-balanced freshness, and a long, persistent finish. Try this tiny, lovely, artisanal bottle with fish, cuttlefish, pea ravioli, or simple sea bass in salt, and you will have a fabulous pairing.

Wine for cold fish and shellfish appetizers: Tamburello, Pignoletto, Monticino Rosso

A simple sparkling wine with floral aromas reminiscent of the Pignoletto grape. It is not a structured wine, but thanks to soft bubbles and endless flowers, it will be an excellent wine for octopus and potato salad, clams alla marinara, and marinated anchovies.

Wine for grilled fish: Sp 68 white, Arianna Occhipinti

Once you have tried Arianna Occhipinti’s wines, it is love, and they never leave each other. Her wines are siren songs in a bottle, and they recall their glorious homeland: Vittoria, just northwest of Ragusa, in Sicily, of course. The nose is full of broom, lavender, honey, and eucalyptus. It is full and stormy in the mouth, crossed by saltiness and sweet memories of pollen. Pair this excellent white wine with grilled fish or Parizzi lobster and you will have a table worthy of the gods.

Wine for Fish Soup, Champagne Brut Reserve Grand Cru by Paul Bara

The fish soup is hard to make, has a strong flavor, and is made even better by the addition of tomato. Enhance this sumptuousness of aromas and flavors with the exquisite Pinot Noir by Paul Bara, a structured and salty Champagne like sea that will not disappoint you. The price is excellent, among other things.

Wine for turbot and fatty fishes

Chablis, Muscadet, and orange wines are the best pairings for fatty fish. Roasted or grilled, it makes no difference. These flavors and fats need strong, salty, or slightly tannic white wines. Pink wines are excellent too. But let’s try something new for once and pair a superb German wine like Philip Lardot’s Pinot Gris 2020.

Wine for fish skewers

A Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi could not be missing. You are spoiled for choice, but a wine that never disappoints, year after year, is the Verdicchio from the Bucci winery. The bouquet is fabulous, with herbs, flowers, and hints of anise that seduce the nose. At the same time, it moves quickly and decisively in the mouth, thanks to its strong sapidity. This makes it great for cleaning up fish skewers and making them taste better.

Wine for hot appetizers, clams and mussels Taranto style, Fabula Bianco

From the Maremma comes a very savory, clean white wine that smells of flowers and is great for making hot appetizers like clams alla marinara taste even better. This is one of the most coveted categories, so try experimenting a bit. Chenin Blanc, Muscadet and Gewurztraminer are all excellent choices too.

Wine for cod meatballs, Eva Brunnenhof winery

An insidious combination: cod is delicious but very overbearing. Choose a full-bodied, round, and fruity wine like Brunnenhof’s Eva to soften the savory impact of the dish and create harmony.

Wine for swordfish, Chardonnay from the Di Lenardo winery

Swordfish deserves a structured, fruity wine with aromatic richness and a lot of roundness to sweeten the palate, with its complex taste but so particular and ferrous. The Chardonnay from the Di Lenardo winery in Friuli is a paradise for those who love white wines, not to mention that it is sold at an incredible price for the quality it offers. Under 10 euros.

Wine for a whole fish meal: Nosiola Maso Grener

A very savory, fragrant and elegant wine with the right attitude to hold up a whole meal based on fish and shellfish. Among other things, a natural and very clean wine: a pearl, especially among the never enough praised production of Nosiola from Trentino.