Red wines and fish

Two things matter when you pour a red with fish: the wine, whose makeup can leave an unpleasant aftertaste, and the recipe, which sometimes puts red wine right into the sauce. When choosing, start with a Gamay, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc with a light structure, described as smooth on its page.

A 2009 Study on Wine and Scallops

In 2009, Japanese researchers published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Tamura et al.) on the aftertaste some wines leave with seafood. They call it a "fishy" aftertaste.

A panel tasted 38 reds and 26 whites with dried scallops; the off-taste's strength tracked both total iron and ferrous iron in the wine. Added to a model wine, ferrous iron made the off-taste stronger; chemically bound up in a red wine, it weakened the off-taste. The authors conclude that normal iron levels in wine are enough to trigger it.

A 2012 follow-up study confirmed the effect: wine treated in the lab to remove its iron no longer left that taste. The 2009 study covers scallops, not every fish, and does not rule out a role for tannins. Since iron content is not listed on the label, taste the wine with a bite of the dish before serving it.

When Red Wine Goes into the Freshwater Fish Recipe

Two French recipes bring red wine and river fish together in the kitchen. Meurette, a red wine sauce thickened with beurre manié (a butter and flour paste), is spooned over poached eggs or river fish. In a red wine matelote, the freshwater fish itself simmers in the wine, with onions and mushrooms.

For the glass, stay close to the cooking wine with a smooth, fruity red: a Pinot Noir, from Sancerre for instance, or one of the Beaujolais reds made from Gamay, such as a Chiroubles or Saint-Amour. A heavily oaked or very tannic wine would weigh down a sauce that is already reduced.

Lamprey Bordeaux-Style, a Dish from the Estuary

Lamprey, caught in the Gironde estuary, is one of the specialties of Bordeaux cooking. The cook collects its blood, cuts it into sections, then scalds it to remove the skin. It is then cooked with leeks, pork belly, thyme and bay leaf in a red wine sauce thickened with that blood.

The flesh must stay firm yet tender, as in a slow-cooked daube, according to one Bordeaux chef. This dark, rich dish can take a more structured red than most fish: a Bordeaux red, based on Merlot or Cabernet, preferably the one used in the sauce.

More Fish Dishes to Serve with Red Wine

What red wine goes with fish and lentils?

With fish and lentils, such as a pollock or trout fillet, serve a light, fruity red wine like a Pinot Noir or Gamay. Lentils bring an earthy note and a soft texture that leave plenty of room for a red. Choose one with low tannins.

What red wine goes with fish wrapped in bacon or prosciutto?

With fish wrapped in bacon or prosciutto, choose a smooth red wine with clean fruit, like a Loire Cabernet Franc or a Pinot Noir. On a hake fillet prepared this way, the salt and fat of the cured meat give the dish a meatier taste that leaves room for the red.

What red wine goes with teriyaki-glazed fish?

With teriyaki-glazed fish, serve a fruity, smooth red wine such as a Gamay or Pinot Noir, lightly chilled. The glaze, sweet and salty from soy sauce and mirin, softens the dish. A tannic red would taste more bitter against it: save structured wines for another meal.

Where can you buy red wine for fish direct from the winemaker?

You can buy red wine for fish direct from the winemaker on Avenue des Vins. Each wine's page names the producer who made it.

See also: White wines and fish - Rosé wines and fish - Sparkling and fish