Hello All!
According to the latest New Statesman that I have seen, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with red wine with fish. It's just that those wines that contain a large amount of iron produce a fishy taste. The opinion is supported by evidence and thus, if you want to drink red with fish, you will need to find out its iron content.....not something that the Wine Spectator or even Parker consider.
James wrote to All on Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:54:00 -0500:
I'm sorry the magazine was "The Economist" but the finding still stands.
Experientially (I've made no attempt to analyze iron content), pinot noir goes well with salmon.
Of course pinot noir goes well with almost everything.
Of course exactly which wine (regardless of color) will go well with your fish dish will depend on what sort of fish it is and how it is prepared, right?
In my experience, any wine goes well with salmon. :)
I don't think any wine will go well with mackerel (more specifically the common Atlantic species, no idea about the other varieties).
Sorry James, my knowledge of iron content is a bit rusty...
Intuitively I would think that tannic wines would have a hard time with any oily fish like mackerel or sardines, and also with most farmed fish (which can have an unpleasant gelatinous texture). Tannins would bind with the fats and create that unpleasant powdery feeling that explains why we mostly drink whites with fish.
If iron tastes fishy, then I would think it would be quite good with fish :-)
I've had red wine with roasted Turbot and Lamprey in Bordeaux. Both were prepared in a red wine sauce, the Lamprey with a red wine and blood sauce. I've had better matches and perhaps better fish in regards to the Lamprey.
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