You hear it everywhere: fish only goes well with white wine, and drinking it with red wine is an offence! Yet this popular adage is almost as false as the famous cheese/red wine pairing.

Fish flesh and tannins

While white wine is generally a better match than red wine, some fish, including firm-fleshed fish such as tuna, can be too fleshy for white wine, and are best served with supple, full-bodied red wines such as those from the Loire, Beaujolais or Rhône regions. In fact, fish is a very fine dish, with rather tender and delicate flesh, so the tannins are much more noticeable when tasting a red wine with it.

For the best match, choose fish with the fullest flesh and wines with the softest tannins.

Red wines with light tannins

The Pinot Noir grape is particularly appreciated with fish, especially for its sweetness and finesse. Generally speaking, Burgundy is a beautiful region when it comes to fish and wine pairings. Wines from Beaune, Mercurey or Volnay go perfectly with fish. Pinot Noir is also grown in Alsace, Côte Roannaise and the Loire Valley, so we can also draw from these regions.

Powerful fish dishes, such as tuna steak, can be accompanied by more powerful red wines, like a Syrah from the Côte du Rhône. A Crozes Hermitage is the perfect match.