Pairing Wine And Fish

Which Wines With What Fish?

What wine bottle do you reach for to go with your fish dish? What are the basics for a good wine-fish pairing? Is it just a matter of taste and personal preference or is there a universal rule or guideline regarding what wines go well with fish? One thing is for sure, you will never go wrong with a white wine (unless your choice is a dry white when what your palette requires is a full bodied, lush wine). So are red wines out of this beautiful fish-wine relationship? Not at all. Remember this rule, rules are made to be broken so drink what you like no matter what anyone says.
The starting point of this beautiful journey is at the heart of your fish or seafood recipe. The natural flavor and texture of the fish is in my opinion the biggest factor in ensuring a good pairing of wine and fish. That together with how the fish has been cooked goes a long way in guaranteeing that you get the most out of your meal.

The Wines
When you consider that there are seven major types of white wine (Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Reisling, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, and  Viognier), with each type having several varieties depending on country of origin, year of the grape harvest, and individual wine-crafting idiosyncrasies, the combinations available to you  for a good wine and fish pairing are vast. Don't despair, to get you started here a few logical guidelines:

• Light wines go with light foods
• Heavy foods go with heavy wine
• Delicate foods go with delicate wines
• Hearty wines go with hearty foods