Food Drink

How To Match Seafood & Wine

Step 1: break down wine-speak into plain English. Step 2: It should be white. Step 3: Have a look across this expert breakdown from the team at Sidewood.

We’re extremely lucky in Australia to have bragging rights to some of the world’s best wines and have access to some of the best seafood too – It’s great being a South Aussie!

The right wine can enhance the flavours of any dish but wine is of course ultimately a matter of taste and there’s no exact science to food and wine pairing. Key is being able to translate the wine speak into “Plain English” and put together some simple rules to follow for all those out there who are wine lovers (not expert), with an interest to learn about what goes with what.

This pairing guide from Sidewood Estate will equip you to sound like a pro just in time for their 2016 Sauvignon Blanc launch at the  2KW Adelaide Oyster Festival on 3 September.

Being given the “honour” of choosing which wine your group is going to drink with their meal for the night can be anything but. The compounding pressure builds and the burden of the potential risk of ruining John and Jane’s first night out since becoming parents or Jill’s Birthday Buzz weighs heavy on your shoulders like a ton of bricks.

Blanket rule – when it doubt white it out – white wine pairs well with most seafood but certain white wines go better with different types. Of course the chosen seafood, the sauce and preparation all affects the overall flavour of the  seafood (because we need more pressure to get it right huh?)

Here is the lowdown:
Seafood matches with wines that have similar flavours or textures, so in a nutshell just remember mild flavoured seafood (like prawns) matches with mild flavoured wines (like Sparkling) and big rich seafood (like lobster with butter sauce) goes best with big flavourful wines (like Chardonnay).

Matching Mild Seafood Flavours:

Mild flavoured seafood’s are usually thinner and flaky. When pairing mild flavoured seafood with wine look out for zesty and refreshing whites to balance the delicate flavours of the dish. Please see examples below that match perfectly with the Sidewood Palomino Pinot Grigio Sidewood NV Sparkling and Sidewood Sauvignon Blanc.

160816-Mild-Flavours

Matching Medium Seafood Flavours:

Medium flavoured seafood is still flaky but firmer and thicker than mild seafood. When pairing medium flavoured seafood with wine look out for medium bodied whites with high aromatics and rich full bodied whites aged in oak. Please see examples below that match perfectly with the Mappinga Sauvignon BlancSidewood Chardonnay and Sidewood Pinot Gris.

160816-Medium-Flavours

Matching Strong Seafood Flavours:

Your strong flavoured seafood’s are those make you feel like you’re eating the ocean on consumption, they’re salty and smells like the sea. These are best served with rich flavoured wines with lots of flavour that can hold up to the strong flavours of the seafood. Please see examples below that match perfectly with the Sidewood Pinot Noir,  Sidewood 777 Pinot Noir (Only available to Wine Club, Cellar Door & 2KW),  Mappinga Chardonnay and Chloe Cuvee Sparkling.

160816-Strong-Flavours

Remember at the end of the day there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to pairing seafood with wine because ultimately it comes down to the person’s personal preference because you need to drink what you like best!

Sidewood’s 2016 Sauvignon Blanc launch and the 2KW Bar & Restaurant & Oyster Festival pairing will be on Saturday, 3rd of September. To book, visit the 2KW website.

This article was originally published by Sidewood and has been posted with the authors permission.

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