Pinot Noir and fish is wearing me out. Other red suggestions?

I’m getting tired (bored) of drinking pinot noir with fish.

Can you suggest other varietals to drink with fish? Would a CdP be a good alternative for pinot noir when I’m eating salmon?

dh

Interesting. Not sure CdP is the first wine that comes to mind for me with salmon, but I’ve never tried this.

Loire White or Red? A lighter styled Zin? Rose? Gamay Noir? Chardonnay or Chablis? Riesling or sparkler?

Maybe I need to get more creative?

Mike januik from januik winery here in Washington believes that his merlot goes great with salmon, we did a wine dinner where 2 of his Merlots were matched with copper river salmon and it went very well, a combo I didn’t expect to work, but did.

I believe CNP is reserved for sushi,right? Lighter reds will work with fish, nothing light about CNP. Nerello Mascalese from Etna works very well with tuna or sword. This is some of the best around:

Might try Pelaverga, Grignolino and Ruche. And select Gamay/Beaujolais wines.

I think an obvious choice for grilled Salmon is Oregon (or Alsace) Pinot Gris -

Another obvious category for meatier seafood is COLLIO - The Northern Italian whites from this region are exquisite with seafood - especially Ribolla Gialla - Fiano or Vermentino are other great choices from Italy -

AND - As far as Merlot going with grilled Salmon - I remember visiting David Stare and Dry Creek Vineyards many, many years ago and he served his Merlot to us with Grilled Salmon, I remember snickering at the time about “red wine with fish”, but it really ended up to be a perfect pairing and I’ve done it many times since. New world Merlot seems to work better than Bordeaux for me -

If you want a red, I would suggest something from the Jura or a Sicilian wine like Nerello Mascalese. There is a nice thread close by that talks about a wine from Passopisciaro.

Maybe you need a stronger reading glass prescription.

I’m blushing red.

A ‘bassy’ Pinot Noir-driven Champagne works well, too IMO.

I believe CNP is reserved for sushi,right?

I never understood Pinot Noir and salmon anyway.

The idea came about because people have this idea that the local grapes in Europe work best with the local foods, an idea that is often questionable. So when Oregon started to become a noted wine region for Pinot Noir as a red variety, notwithstanding the fact that they made decent white wines, and in many people’s minds the northwest is identified with salmon, people figured those two should be the match.

But they plant lots of things that may or may not be good matches. Moreover, if you’re going to go local, Oregon has, or had, plenty of game and birds that would probably be better matches for the Pinot Noir than fish.

Sticking to the salmon though, I’d think that any number of other wines could work but probably best would be something a bit on the less tannic and less jammy side. So for reds, maybe something older made from Nebbiolo or Sangiovese, Syrah, or Tempranillo from Rioja. But then again, it all depends on the preparation doesn’t it? If the salmon is marinated in soy sauce, wine, garlic, ginger, honey, star anise, etc., I’d forego the red and go with sherry.

I’m going to channel my inner Roberto and suggest Rossese di Dolceacqua. I tried a few of them while in the area last week and feel that they’d pair well with salmon and other heartier fish.

white wine. seriously.

You could try to modify your preparation of the fish to make it pair better with other wines. I think the idea of “pair with the sauce, not the meat” is decent advice, so perhaps consider a salmon Florentine, with heavy flavors that could bring many rhone verities into play.

That’s what I was hinting at (I was trying to be more subtle).

I eat a lot of fresh, Monterey Bay King Salmon. I may try to pair with a Kirschenmann Vineyard Zinfandel.

I’d agree that Pinot and fish has never been great for me. Prefer a heavier white myself. Maybe Rose will satiate the need for color?

We had a baked Copper River salmon last night that was outstanding, I opened a '11 Vincent WV PN that was on the lighter side with a great acid profile, really like a robust rosé that went perfectly, TW drank some NZ Sauv Blanc. A Sangiovese or Cab Franc would work for me as well as a rosé from those grapes. I thought the salmon was some of the best I have ever had, the wine was secondary to the fish which tasted like it was just caught out of the sea. I had the same experience with fresh caught Halibut on an Alaska visit, just a world of difference when fresh.

I think an earlier suggestion of a Loire red, obviously not a Pinot Noir ['cos the OP is bored with it] from Sancerre or Menetou-Salon, but, say, a Cabernet Franc from Bourgeuil from e.g. the Bretons or Jacky Blot or Yannick Amirault or a Caberent Franc St. Nicholas de Bourgeuil from e.g. Frederic Mabileau or an Anjou from Claude Papin [Pierre Bise]. I could go on but certain Cabernet Franc wines possibly very lightly chilled might provide the variety being sought from red wines.

The other suggestion of a Gamay from Beaujolais [again the Loire has some good ones but Gamay from Southern Burgundy would be my first try too if I was looking for a red with fish] and perhaps a Fleurie [Clos de la Roilette] from Coudert or a Fleurie Les Garants or Poncie from Domaine du Vissoux [the Chermettes] might hit the mark. There are of course other great Beaujolais Crus and producers but Fleurie might be considered a better match than e.g. the heavier Moulin-a-Vents and Morgons.

I think a Southern Rhone, including a CdP could work if it’s not too big. A lot depends on how the fish is served. If it’s with a tomato coulis, it’s one thing. If it’s with lemon, I’d avoid all reds.

Among reds, I think what you want to avoid is heavy tannins (e.g., nebbiolo), which don’t work well with very moist dishes. I think that’s where the pinot pairing comes from in part, plus the fruitiness of New World pinots can play off the richness of salmon. I agree with Nigel that a more feminine gamay would work.

My favorite with salmon is riesling, though – dry or off-dry.

Gamay, gamay, gamay. Or maybe rose’

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