Pairing Seafood with Wine

I see a lot of delicious seafood, but I don't see any wine. Don't make that mistake yourself. To my way of thinking the seafood just won't taste the same without the wine. The classic pairing of fish and red wine is salmon and Pinot Noir. I still remember the first time I tried this happy combination. I was young enough to be surprised and old enough to truly appreciate. But that's just me. What counts is what works for you and yours.

Choosing a Wine to Match Your Seafood Dish

You'll note that whites are really predominant but there are several reds. You may also consider pairing seafood dishes with rosé wine. If you do so go for a fine rosé unless your seafood dish is quite basic such as fried clams. Even so, you will probably appreciate a better rosé.

Seafood Dish	Recommended Wines
Boiled Shrimp with wine	Orvieto, Soave, Vinho Verde
Caviar	Champagne, Riesling
Cheviche	Sauvignon Blanc
Clams	Prosecco
Crab	Maçonnais White, Marsanne, Roussane
Fried Shrimp or Oysters	Albarino, Sparkling Wine
Grilled Scallops	Riesling (Dry), Sauvignon Blanc
Lobster	Condrieu, Viognier, Burgundy (White)
Mussels	Chardonnay, Muscadet
Raw Oysters	Chablis, Champagne
Seafood Cocktail	Frascati, Pinot Blanc
Seafood Stew (broth-based)	Pinot Noir
Seafood Stew (tomato-based)	Marsanne
Seafood with cream sauce	Chardonnay, Vouvray
Sushi and Sushami (light fish)	Albarino, Sancerre, Vouvray (Dry)
Sushi and Sushami (rich fish)	Beaujolais, Chinon

The following table presents wine and food pairing information, sorted by wine, rather than by seafood dish. When you click on any wine a new page pops up telling you what you need to know about that wine. This short page makes specific purchase recommendations, usually in three price ranges.

Wine	Wine Type	Recommended Seafood Dish
Albarino	Fruity Spanish White	Fried Shrimp or Oysters
Albarino	Fruity Spanish White	Sushi and Sushami (light fish)
Beaujolais	Fruity French Red	Lobster
Burgundy (White)	Classic French Wine	Sushi and Sushami (rich fish)
Chablis	Classic French White	Raw Oysters
Champagne	Classic French Wine	Caviar, Raw Oysters
Chardonnay	White Variety	Mussels
Chardonnay	White Variety	Seafood with cream sauce
Chinon	Light French Red	Sushi and Sushami (rich fish)
Condrieu	Classic French White	Lobster
Frascati	Italian White Wine	Seafood Cocktail
Maconais White	French Wine	Crab
Marsanne	White Variety	Crab
Marsanne	White Variety	Seafood Stew (tomato-based)
Muscadet	French White Wine	Mussels
Orvieto	Dry Italian White	Boiled Shrimp
Pinot Blanc	White Variety	Seafood Cocktail
Pinot Noir	Red Variety	Seafood Stew (broth-based)
Prosecco	Sparkling Ital. White	Clams
Riesling	White Variety	Caviar
Riesling (Dry)	White Variety	Grilled Scallops
Roussanne	White Variety	Crab
Sancerre	Classic French White	Sushi and Sushami (light fish)
Sauvignon Blanc	White Variety	Cheviche, Grilled Scallops
Soave	Light Italian White	Boiled Shrimp
Sparkling Wine	White Wine	Fried Shrimp or Oysters
Vinho Verde	Light Portu. White	Boiled Shrimp
Viognier	White Variety	Lobster
Vouvray	Classic French White	Seafood with cream sauce
Vouvray (Dry)	Classic French White	Sushi and Sushami (light fish)

For my food pairing experiences with French wine read

My French wine articles
For my food pairing experiences with German wine read
My German wine articles
For my food pairing experiences with Italian wine read
My Italian wine articles

Contact Us (webm@theworldwidewine.com)  

Site Map   Our Privacy Policy   A Word About Navigation  


If you love wikis, the web gives you access to cool wikis, you can even find wine wikis. These awesome little tools are an easy way to add content to your site. Not to mention a wiki may be fun so pick one up right away!

Home - Fine Wine and Food Pairing