Turning 21 is an important event in one's life. It feels like the beginnings of full adulthood! And it also means you are legally permitted to consume and enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Many of us are in college when we turn 21 and celebrate with friends. My 21st birthday, unfortunately, was amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, so I was not able to enjoy the occasion the way I had expected.
Since turning 21, I have been dabbling in the area of wine, and have been especially interested in the ways in which wine can compliment different foods. Through my internship at Eating with the Ecosystem, I have been able to enhance my knowledge of a multitude of local seafood species, as well as learn about ways in which to prepare them in the kitchen. Now, I want to combine these two interests and will attempt to compile a basic guide to wine pairings and seafood to assist others who would also like to start experimenting.
As a student, seafood, as well as alcohol (wine in particular) can be expensive and daunting. In this post, I hope to create a guide to assist students, or anyone for that matter, to begin pairing local seafood with wine. Before beginning however, it is important to note that as stated before, I am twenty one years old and this article is solely meant for those who are also twenty one years and older. If you are in college but still want to learn more, feel free to utilize this guide once you are of age!
Now, I am going to preface this blog with the fact that my knowledge regarding wine is very basic! However, I have accumulated some knowledge that will hopefully be helpful from my bartending experience, as well as about a year of being twenty one and trying different wines. I’m hoping my beginner’s knowledge will make this article accessible to anyone. I also have conducted some research for this article and talked to Kathleen Standridge, the Wine and Beverage Director at the Shipwright’s Daughter, a restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut that serves lots of local seafood. Kathleen’s husband David is the chef and they work together to run the restaurant.
For the purposes of this article, I have broken up wine into three categories: white, red, and sparkling. From there, I will provide some local seafood species that I feel would pair nicely.
White Wines
First, let's start with the most obvious pairing: the white wines. White wines are typically very light and compliment seafood, as seafood is a lighter source of protein, in comparison to foods like red meat. They range in terms of flavor profiles and acidity, but overall, white wines typically tend to pair best with the marine food web.
Another reason why white wine makes a great pairing with seafood is based on the saying: "what grows together goes together". Since white wines are typically grown in coastal areas, it is destined that it would pair well with seafood!
Chardonnay is a very well known type of white wine. It is usually considered the "one size fits all" wine when it comes to seafood, meaning it pairs well with most options. It is typically dryer wine and usually medium-to full bodied with moderate acidity. It usually pairs well with white flaky fish, raw bars, or even oilier varieties of seafood. With this in mind and after doing some research and chatting with wine expert Kathleen Standridge at the Shipwright's Daughter, a restaurant in Mystic, CT, some local species to try with chardonnay would be monkfish, lobster, or jonah crab. Other options include white fish, such as haddock, cod, pollock, hake, and redfish. The typically oaky flavor and mild to moderate acidity will pair well with any of these options and definitely would be worth a try!
If chardonnay isn't your go-to wine, another white wine to try with your seafood dishes is sauvignon blanc. Sauvignon blanc is a more acidic wine that is associated with a fresh, bright flavor profile. This type of wine tends to be described as bright and fresh, and with the high acidity, makes it perfect for a multitude of fish species. For example, with the high acidity, sauvignon blanc cuts fattier fish, so you may want to try options, like mackerel, butterfish, or bluefish. You may also want to try some white flakey fish such as black sea bass, whiting, summer flounder, scup, and grey sole, as the light flavor matches with the lightness of the fish. Finally, shellfish is another option to pair with this bright wine. Species you can try include lobster, quahogs, and mussels. Maybe try a mussel stew recipe!
Pinot grigio is also another amazing contender when it comes to wine and seafood pairings. Its floral and fruity flavor and mid-bodied profile make a great pairing for lighter fish such as any local flounder, John dory, whiting, scup, butterfish, black sea bass, or haddock. Similar to sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio also pairs exceedingly well with shellfish like lobster, crab species, mussels, or clams.
Sparkling Wines
Although white wines are typically what goes best with seafood, it may not be your cup of tea (or glass of wine!). Another wine type that pairs well with seafood are sparkling wines. Sparkling wines are wines with carbonation and can be made with a variety of grape types and through different wine making methods. The few that I think are the most well known and accessible are champagne, prosecco, and sparkling rose.
To begin, champagne is definitely a wine you can gravitate towards with seafood. Although it can be a bit pricier, the light, fresh, crisp profile makes champagne a great pairing for either a raw bar or with shellfish! There are different sweetness levels of champagne that allow you to really tailor this wine to the seafood you choose, as well as to your personal wine preferences. Even with a slightly higher price than other options, there are plenty of college budget friendly options to choose from as the opening to your next get together or friendly outing with your peers.
If champagne is not in your price range, or you would like to try another option, you could look to prosecco. It is personally my favorite of the sparkling wines! Prosecco is a great staple to have with seafood! This wine does not tend to have much body thus it is lighter and pairs well again with shellfish or raw bar! To incorporate this option, you can enjoy a glass while eating oysters on the half shell, snacking on some lobster horderves, or maybe some steamers (aka soft shell clams) dipped in butter.
Sparkling rosé is another great option for seafood, and is a little different to prosecco and champagne. This sparkling wine is typically light and fresh, but can also be fruity. With this, it can also have a higher acidity, making it perfect for oilier fish such as mackerel, bluefish, butterfish, or also with some shellfish!
Overall, the sparkling wines all pair very well with many local seafood varieties and each differ in some ways. I suggest trying the different options to see what you prefer when it comes to this group.
Red Wines
Finally, we are onto the last category: the reds. Red wines can be very daunting, and are usually more difficult to pair with seafood. Remember what we said earlier: What grows together goes together. Red wine grapes are typically grown far away from the coast. They are heavier and do not often match the pallet that accompanies seafood very well. Although red wines are not typically paired with seafood, it doesn't mean you can't pair them yourself! Here, we will look at two red wine varieties that may work and demonstrate which seafood options are the best! The general rule of thumb, however, is whenever pairing red wines with seafood in any case, attempt to cook the seafood with heavier ingredients to deepen the dish so it will match the profile of the red wine better.
Firstly, we have merlots. Merlots tend to be fruity and fresh and on the lighter end when it comes to red wine, which is why it is the most likely red pairing when it comes to seafood. Merlot tends to be dryer and medium bodied, but it can pair well with fattier fish, like bluefish or tuna. Overall, this wine again is best paired with seafood that is prepared in a heavier way, such as in a stew.
Another red option that is easily accessible and not too pricey is pinot noir. Pinot noir is a moderately dry wine with moderate acidity. It pairs well with both lean fish and oily fish. Species to try include monkfish, halibut, scup, and mackerel. Although this is another option, the same rule applies as with Merlots and any other red wines: heavier wine equals heavier meal.
There ya go. That is a very basic guide to pairing wine with seafood. As you can see white wine is typically favored for seafood over any other types. It's light fresh profile matches well with the lightness of seafood and goes back to the idea of "what grows together goes together". Although these types of pairings are expected, it does not mean you can't have red or sparkling wines with your seafood selection! Dining experiences should reflect what you want to consume, so if you don't like white wine, drink red wine! There is no right or wrong way to pair seafood and wine, so in the end, drink what you want! At the end of the day, if you are going to enjoy it and it will heighten your experience with the local seafood, then enjoy it as you please!
I decided to use this guide myself and pair some seafood with some wine! As a college student with a tight budget and full schedule, I needed something quick and simple. As per a suggestion, I was pointed in the direction of clams, as they are easy and do not take much time to cook. With clams in mind, I went to my local Shaw's and picked up about a pound of Littleneck clams, a size of hardshell clams or Quahogs (my favorite). I followed a quick NYTimes recipe for a white wine sauce pasta with clams. This recipe was insanely easy. All I really needed was clams, pasta, olive oil, garlic, some spices and white wine. While at the grocery store, I also wanted to pick up a bottle of wine to use in the recipe and to enjoy with my meal. I decided on a simple chardonnay, as it pairs nicely with all fish, including shellfish. Once home, I followed the recipe. First, I soaked the clams in cold water. While that was happening, I boiled some angel hair pasta on one burner, and on another, I started making the sauce. The sauce was so simple. Just oil, garlic, and some dried chili! Once heated, I added that wine and the clams and covered them until the clams opened! This took about ten minutes, and by then, the pasta was done!. I discarded the clams that didn't open and threw in the pasta. Once mixed, I plated it up, sprinkled on some parmesan cheese, and poured myself a glass of the wine. This dish was delicious. It was so light, but the clamd and the wine in the sauce really brought out each other's flavors. The oakiness of the chardonnay was a bit strong, making this dish taste stronger. If I were to do this again, I would try it with another type of white wine, such as sauvignon blanc, to see if the bright and crisp flavor profile would make a difference.
Hopefully this guide, however, gave you some basic insight into the world of wine and seafood. If you wish to try any of the suggestions for your seafood dishes, Eating with the Ecosystem highly encourages you to try it with species local to you. It will be just as enjoyable and way more sustainable to local marine food webs! Have a wine in mind, but don't know where to start with recipes? Check out Eating with the Ecosystem's recipe page for some inspiration!
https://www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org/recipes
A big shout out and thank you to Kathleen Standridge, wine expert at the Shipwright's Daughter, for such an insightful conversation and great suggestion! If you ever are in the Mystic, Connecticut area, go visit Kathleen at the Shipwright's Daughter and try the amazing wines she pairs with the dishes on the menu!