Which wine goes with fish?

White wine with fresh acidity works with fish because the acidity plays the same role as a slice of lemon: it cleans the taste in the mouth.

Fish is lean and fine in structure. A wine with heavy tannin lays a layer over it that flattens the dish. A dry white wine with clear acidity does the opposite and makes the fish stand out. Chablis from the Yonne and muscadet from the western Loire, both described by the INAO as dry white wine, are therefore fixed names with fish dishes.

With cod, sole, plaice and other lean white fish, a dry white wine with plenty of acidity and little oak is a good match.

Lean fish has a delicate flavour that is quickly overpowered. Muscadet is a textbook example: according to the INAO a dry still white wine from a single grape variety, melon B. Chablis works the same way. If the fish is poached or steamed, keep the wine as light as possible. If a butter sauce is added, a little more body in the glass is fine.

Oily fish calls for a wine with more body: a full-bodied white wine, or a dry rosé with enough acidity.

Salmon, mackerel and herring have more fat per bite than white fish. That fat calls for acidity, but also for a wine that can stand alongside it in terms of weight. A white wine with some oak ageing or a riper style does that. If the fish is smoked, a wine with firm acidity or, conversely, a little residual sugar works against the salt.

Red wine can go with fish, provided the wine is light, has little tannin and is served cool.

Tuna, swordfish and grilled red mullet have enough flavour to tolerate a light red wine beside them. The pitfall is tannin: it clashes with fish and leaves a metallic aftertaste. So choose a red wine without hard tannin and put it in the fridge for half an hour, so that it reaches the table at around 14 degrees instead of room temperature.

Preparation and sauce weigh more heavily than the type of fish: let the wine follow what is on the plate, not just what was in the net.

Poached and steamed stays light, so the wine stays light. Pan-fried, grilled or roasted gives more flavour and tolerates more body. A creamy sauce calls for acidity and for weight at the same time. If curry, tomato or bell pepper is added, the choice shifts towards an aromatic white wine or a dry rosé.