Which wine goes well with seafood?

Today I’m going to a seafood restaurant. Which wine to order?

I don’t drink alcohol but my companion in life enjoys a couple with seafood - Albarino and Viognier

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Never hurts to ask your waiter what wines they are suggesting for whatever fish and treatments they are serving that day.

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If you want to get fussy - depends on the seafood and the preparation. In which case always appropriate to ask the waiter/staff.

I strongly believe in the “drink what you like” rule.

That said - a dry French rosé from Provence is always nice and easy.

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We’re in the camp that enjoys pinot noir with salmon; Alsatians and gruners with Japanese-ish salt+sweet flavors; sauvignon blanc or Sancerre or sparkling with oysters on half shell, Guinness with fish and chips . . .

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OTOH, engaging your waiter is usually an avenue to good service. Having an interested diner makes his/her shift more interesting.

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Albariño 100% - Cambados (Pazo de Señorans)

Tri Varietal Albariño - O´Rosal (Sanitago Ruiz or Martin Codax)

Cava (Juve y Camps)

From Treviso: Prosecco

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A dry Riesling.

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I am not sure if this is really the case - quite often it is obvious that servers try to push certain dishes, wines, drinks etc not because they are good but often don’t sell that good and so it is a way to still sell then. I never understand people who look on a menu and than ask their server what is good or what he/she would recommend. If servers would be really interested to find the best match (dish/wine) they would have to ask a lot of questions about flavor/taste preferences before making ant recommendations.

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Good points. And, yes, getting the best advice, particularly about wine, does involve conversation with your server. “What should I order?”, isn’t a realistic question. But if you can share any information about your wine experiences or preferences, a wine guy can steer you toward something that you’ll enjoy. Even if we’re talking about a very simple room with a wine list of two whites and two reds, you can drink something closer to your liking if you ask questions and give information.
When you read a wine list as a “know it all”, you won’t learn anything new.

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Well, yes, I’d generally agree. You’re right that, much of the time, a server is going to push something about to go off if it isnt sold and/or whatever has the best profit margin. But a knowledgeable sommelier can be a godsend. As mentioned upthread, I don’t drink alcohol so my partner is restricted to ordering by the glass. Usually that’s not an issue. Howver, it can become an issue if we’re eating, say, a multi course tasting menu. Often, the accompanying wine flight will be more booze than she wants. Which is where the skill of the sommelier comes in. She can say that she wants to drink a certain number of glasses and what does he (it seems to be always a “he”) recommend. It’s rare that she feels it’s been a ripoff - I recall once in Spain, the three glasses were the three most expensive available, by far.

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Much of the time, when ordering a wine by the glass, we will be offered samples from which to choose.

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I only know of one restaurant which does this. It’s in Spain.

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How interesting. In my area of the US, if you are unsure if you would like a wine offered by the glass (or a beer on tap, for that matter) a restaurant will offer you a small pour to taste. Nicer establishments might offer you two different tastes to help you decide between options.

BTW, the recommendations on this thread for wine with seafood look good to me.

Of course this time of year I can’t help but gravitate to a Provençal rosé. That said I recently enjoyed an inexpensive Portuguese vinho verde rosé with a simple seafood meal on a hot day. (I know, mixing Portuguese and French in the name seems so wrong. Yet that was the description!)

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It’s part of the “chat up the waiter” scenario… Granted this isn’t the case at your local Denny’s or Applebees, but in moderately priced restaurants, if you show interest in the food and wine you will get superior service. I ask questions, ask the waiter to make comparisons, etc., and very often they will bring two bottles for me to choose from. Also, dh and I like different styles wine, so this comes into play also as they try to please both of us.

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Incorporating the many excellent recommendations offered above, here is a pretty good guide for matching wine with different fish and cooking techniques.

An exemplary Prosecco from Martino & Veronica.
Subiendo: Mongarda - Primavera 2019 - 078 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto.jpg…


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I like prosecco, or cava, with seafood , too.

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Yes, definitely.

So, what did you end up drinking? Were our suggestions any help to you? If I’ve counted correctly, I think we made 12 different suggestions, so still quite a range to pick from.