Have been relying on lighter-style PN as my go-to when I simply must have a red with my fish. Help me out of my rut, what other reds can I turn to that will prove to be a most enjoyable accompaniment? I know that there are several factors at play (type of fish, how it is prepped, flavors and/or sauces used), was hoping for some good general guidelines. Thanks!
I tried a bite of my wife’s fish entree out at a restaurant while drinking petite sirah. It actually tasted pretty good. The petite syrah did not overwhelm the fish and that really surprised me. I can’t wait to see some of the other responses to this thread.
Though I’ve had the run-of-the-mill recommended pairing of red Burg and new world pinot noir with salmon, etc., I never really encountered a seafood+red pairing that was interesting - that is, until late June 2009 when I had a dish of Pan-Seared Scallop with Fricasée of Spring Vegetables in Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce paired with a 5-hour slow-oxed 1999 Bodegas Olarra Cerro Añon Rioja Gran Reserva. That was an eye-opener for me.
You want something with very light tannins, like a New World pinot or perhaps a Cote de Rhone that’s mainly grenache (i.e., not one that’s heavily syrah). If you want something obscure, perhaps something very light-bodied like a grignolino from Piedmont.
It depends a lot on how the fish is served. If there is, say, a tomato coulis or olive tapenade, many different reds could work. If it’s grilled, I’d be more careful to avoid tannins. If it’s in a lemon butter sauce, give up and stick to white.
Basically what John said. if there is tomato based sauce to the fish, i think a traditional (i.e. non oaky, and no international grapes) Chianti (Classico) can do the trick. Barbera also works for me.
Last week I decanted a 2011 Terre Nere Etna Rosso for 3 hours and served it with a tomato based Mediterranean fish stew. It was excellent.
I can totally see that, Jim!
Sauce is everything. I had a pike dish at Beychevelle with a red sauce made with that Bordeaux wine. The dish was delicious. Stay away from fish with blood lines like Tuna. It will have a metallic taste. I find Tuna to be almost impossible to match.
Lighter fish or fresh water fish served with a sauce from the wine that you are drinking can be enlightening.
Loire Cabernet Franc can succesfully be paired with a variety of fish and shellfish dishes, but works especially well with mussels provided you forego the usual heavy mayonese-based sauces. In general, wines with higher acidity, moderate alcohol level and light tannins can be tried.
Red Wine With Fish, Rosengarten & Wesson: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/red-wine-with-fish-david-rosengarten/1000386077
I sure is, isn’t it. I think riesling, either dry or slightly off-dry can work, but nothing seems ideal.
Grilled tuna jaw I like with Txomin Etxaniz Txakolin.
Etna wines, Frappato, more elegant Gamay wines.
Cru Bojo, slightly chilled.
Don’t do it. Chill with some Mountain Rhine and Sprite, maybe add a little Pixie Stick.
My go-to has become Abbatucci Faustine Rouge. Really nice salinity, fairly light, good balance. Works well with most Mediterranean preps for fish
Thanks for all the great feedback so far! Will come in handy when it is time to reload.
On a related note, as my wife and I continue to eat less and less red meat, it is kinda sad to have fewer reasons to pull a Cab or Cab blend. That part of the cellar is looking awfully lonely lately!
A perfect sauce to make it work!
Made my mouth water!
Jura.
I agree that the key is as little tannin as possible. That is extremely important for those of us who get the awkward metallic reaction to red wine with seafood, and we are a large portion of the population. Those pairings of things like Chianti, Cab Franc, and Petit Sirah that might work for some people will taste terrible to us pretty much every time, almost regardless of sauce (I’m sure there could be the very occasional exception). The list of possibilities is long, but I’ll agree with Loire PN, Beaujolais, and cool climate, low tannin reds such as Barbera, wines from Jura, Aosta, Austria, Alto Adige, and Germany.