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

[Thomas_Keim]

If you are grilling your seafood - especially salmon - high acid reds (in my opinion) don’t match well - so that would cancel out a lot of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Loire reds -

I would go towards a lower acid red from Southern Italy - Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, or a bigger, riper red from Southern France - old vine Grenache etc -

[Tran_Bronstein]

Rather than approach this as a Wine Beserker and think of the wine first, I recommend thinking as a foodie first.

The biggest problem with fish and wine pairing is that a wine heavy in tannins will not mesh well with moist and fatty texture of the fish and further make the flavanoid compounds you detect taste very metallic when combined. A couple of friends who once made this mistake in pairing them together said that the wine and fish together tasted like drinking mercury. I tried the same out of curiousity and they were right.

This said, I see your dilemma. Pinot Noir is perfect for salmon but can get pretty boring as well because it’s a light-bodied wine and therefore not terribly exciting on a repeated basis with the same dish. Therefore, you need a red wine that is also light on tannins or simply has next to none to begin with a.k.a. white wine.

But since we presume you want reds, here is the key – whether young or old, make sure the tannins have receded or aren’t that plentiful to begin with. I say you can go with ANY aged red wine whose tannins have receded as well as any young varietal that lacks them. A 1983 Chateau Mussar would be great with your salmon. A 2011 Chateau Mussar would be murder on both the wine and the fish.

You’ve already been given great suggestions in Gamay Noir, Merlot and Nebbiolo. Speaking only from my own experience, I would go with the 1983 Chateau Mussar and a 1980 Vintage Port. Yes, Port. I know it’s sweet. So is your salmon. Truthfully, most fish, poultry and game meat are. They only taste salty and savory because of all that seasoning we put on them.

[Brian_King]

I’ve had a lot of luck w/ Abbatucci’s red wines (from Corsica) after getting introduced to them through Marea in New York. They are lighter body with a nice salinity to them, and do well with Salmon and seared Tuna preps. Plus at ~ $25 for the Faustine, they are a pretty good deal

[Mont_Stern]

Before you give up on pinot noir with salmon, I would try a mature Volnay. Softer and lower in tannin than bigger fruiter new world pinot noir.

If you are a fan of reds with salmon, Joel Robuchon has a great red wine reduction that I have wowed guests with in the past.

[Taylor_Senatore]

@Tran Bronstein

Rather than approach this as a Wine berserker and think of the wine first, I recommend thinking as a foodie first.

The biggest problem with fish and wine pairing is that a wine heavy in tannins will not mesh well with moist and fatty texture of the fish and further make the flavanoid compounds you detect taste very metallic when combined. A couple of friends who once made this mistake in pairing them together said that the wine and fish together tasted like drinking mercury. I tried the same out of curiousity and they were right.

This said, I see your dilemma. Pinot Noir is perfect for salmon but can get pretty boring as well because it’s a light-bodied wine and therefore not terribly exciting on a repeated basis with the same dish. Therefore, you need a red wine that is also light on tannins or simply has next to none to begin with a.k.a. white wine.

But since we presume you want reds, here is the key – whether young or old, make sure the tannins have receded or aren’t that plentiful to begin with. I say you can go with ANY aged red wine whose tannins have receded as well as any young varietal that lacks them. A 1983 Chateau Mussar would be great with your salmon. A 2011 Chateau Mussar would be murder on both the wine and the fish.

You’ve already been given great suggestions in Gamay Noir, Merlot and Nebbiolo. Speaking only from my own experience, I would go with the 1983 Chateau Mussar and a 1980 Vintage Port. Yes, Port. I know it’s sweet. So is your salmon. Truthfully, most fish, poultry and game meat are. They only taste salty and savory because of all that seasoning we put on them.

This ^^

Also +1 on Passopiscaro

[John_Morris]

@Thomas Keim

If you are grilling your seafood - especially salmon - high acid reds (in my opinion) don’t match well - so that would cancel out a lot of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Loire reds -

I would go towards a lower acid red from Southern Italy - Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, or a bigger, riper red from Southern France - old vine Grenache etc -

+1

[Jim_Stevens]

@dcornutt

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.

The etna rosso works well for me with fish, especially ah tuna steaks, salmon, blackened mahi, even boiled shrimp.

[Roberto_Rogness]

Cirò and Salice Salentino in their lighter (and cheaper!) versions work very well with fish. + 1 on Etna too.

[Beau_Carufel]

I think it depends on the preparation of the fish too. For salmon that’s been marinated in sauces like teriyaki, jerk, or vinegar-based bbq, you might want a red that has a bit more body and ripeness. On the other hand, a simple salmon fillet that’s grilled on a cedar plank and has a touch of salt may call for a Cru Beaujolais or something similar.

[Joe_W_i_n_o_g_r_a_d]

Amplifying the Jura suggestion, trousseau is a light bodied red that would work well here. Same general direction (to my palate) as gamay/Beaujolais

I really like the Arnot Roberts take on trousseau and am on the hunt for Arbois

[G_Bienstock]

Rioja

[P_Willenberg]

Kiona Lemberger

[Markus_S]

@ryancurry

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.

+1

[Markus_S]

It is also not a sin to have WHITE wine with fish. Just a thought, as in sum’thin different for a change.

Of course, if you are a colour blind bull that sees only red flags, then maybe you want a gamay, a poulsard (fun Jura red that drinks like a funky rose), terroldego rotaliano(fruited goodness with some earthy and mineral tones), a Rosso Conero (sangiovese/montepulciano blend, but lighter than what Tuscany coughs up), Finger Lakes cabernet franc (cheep and available!)?

[Rick_Smith]

@Gary York

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:

Wine Tips • Blast Kitchen

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

Only 07 and only in magnum.

[Roberto_Rogness]

Markus, with the new Conerò DOCG, the wines are now 100% Montepuliciano and often HUGE in both mouthfeel and tannins. Rosso Piceno still can be on the elegant side and contain a lot of Sangiovese though.

[Gary_York]

Exactly. The motto seems to be “when only too much of the wrong wine will do”.

[Robert.A.Jr]

@Nigel Groundwater

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.

Perfect advice for my palate: I love Bourgeuil and Gamay with grilled salmon, especially if grilled on plank. You even nailed some of my favorite estates to pair. The 2011 Vissoux cuvées are really fine and a perfect weight, except for perhaps the MaV.

[Thomas_Keim]

@Roberto Rogness

Markus, with the new Conerò DOCG, the wines are now 100% Montepuliciano and often HUGE in both mouthfeel and tannins. Rosso Piceno still can be on the elegant side and contain a lot of Sangiovese though.

I just had the new Moroder Rosso Conero that’s 100% Montepulciano and it’s really impressive - just a mouthful of fruit. And I could see it working well with grilled Salmon -

[David_Welch]

The red blends from Crete are very seafood friendly.