From vibrant poke bowls to soft cuts of sushi or sashimi, dishes that feature raw fish come with a bounty of satisfying textures, tastes, and nutrients. Ordering some is easy, but what should you drink with your uncooked seafood? To get some insight into the most complementary wines for raw fish dishes, we sought out Corey Garner, a winemaker at The Federalist, for her expertise.
According to Garner, it all starts with choosing a bottle that brings balance to the meal. “For anything raw fish, the most important part for me is I want to find something that won’t overpower the delicate nature of the fish since you aren’t usually working with many sauces or other accouterments,” she says. To let the seafood’s clean taste shine, it’s important to choose a wine that reflects the subtle flavors already present in the fish. “Here, I want something that will bring brightness, minerality, and maybe a touch of salinity to complement the delicate flavors. Which, for me, means we are talking Brut Champagne all day.”
The effervescent nature of this drink, combined with its pleasant acidity, softly cleanses the palate between each bite of fish without coating the tongue or detracting from the experience. If you like a slightly sweeter sip with your bubbles, extra dry champagne could also work. Still, for those who prefer still wines over sparkling, Garner says there are other options out there that are just as simply satisfying.
Consider pouring some sauvignon blanc
While a flute of bubbly, dry champagne and a dish of raw fish is a match made in heaven, winemaker Corey Garner suggests another possible option that is just as enjoyable and accessible. “If you don’t want to pair bubbles with absolutely anything and everything you possibly can like I do, the Federalist Sauvignon Blanc would also work brilliantly here, offering vibrant citrus and tropical fruit notes that would bring out the freshness of the fish, but with enough grassiness to rein it in enough to not overpower anything,” she says.
That refreshing mix of crisp, grassy green and sweet fruit is just light enough — rounding out a plate of raw fish for a complete, harmonious meal. There are a few other popular wine options that are similar to this choice, such as a pinot grigio or riesling (which is different from gewürztraminer). Still, there are just as many wines that don’t fit this category that raw fish connoisseurs should avoid. “Wines to avoid for me would be any heavily oaked whites, which can overpower the delicate nature of raw fish, and most reds, especially anything overly tannic, which I find sometimes give me a metallic aftertaste when paired with seafood,” Garner says.
So, when it comes to these types of dishes, break out a refreshing still white wine, some bubbly, or a similarly light choice that won’t overpower the delicate flavors of the fish. The exact choice might depend on the plate, but this is a great general guideline to follow.
