by Mike Stolese

The old adage of white wine with fish & red wine with meat is just that…old.

Now, if we are talking baked haddock or any white fish, a nice, light-bodied, acidic, white such as a Gruner Veltliner, Albarino, or Sauv Blanc might be the way to go.

That being said, the last 20 years have seen some major changes in how fish is prepared.

One that really caught me off guard was when I started seeing mushrooms as a topping, or a part of whatever sauce went with my fish dish. The same can be said for seafood dishes with olives, bacon, or soy sauce.

Like many styles of cooking, the sauce is what you wind up trying to pair with, as it brings the dominant flavors to the dish. Cajun Catfish…any type of seafood stew with a red sauce…smoked seafood (whether it be trout, scallops, even oysters)…grilled fish (particularly salmon or tuna)…all work incredibly well with the right red wine.

Note: the RIGHT red wine.

Highly tannic wines can often bring a metallic edge to the pairing that we don’t want. Here, we would be looking for low-tannin, high-acid, reds. And there are plenty.

Pinot Noir, Gamay, Grenache, Sciava, and unoaked Barbera are just a few of the many grapes to look for when searching out reds for your seafood feast. Again, all have a nice core of acidity and light to very light tannins.

As a caveat, when purchasing, perhaps check with your wine store…some Grenache and even Pinot Noir can see time in oak, where many of the tannins originate.

So, ready to break some rules and blow some minds at your next dinner party? Below are some suggestions that I hope are helpful…

Mike Stolese is the owner of Vermont Wine Merchants, a wholesale distribution company based in Burlington.