Meet your match – the season of sensational seafood and great wine is upon us!
Barramundi cooked in a garlic lemon sauce served with your favourite riesling, to tomato-drenched mussels accompanied by a glass of pinot noir; a few simple ingredients paired with your favourite fish will help elevate your meal. Of course, all paired with the finest drops!
To make this a reality, we’ve reached out to FishMe, Sydney’s one-stop-shop for freshly delivered seafood. They sell every style of seafood and, with that, they know every unique taste, with industry knowledge on which wines go with which seafood.
Baby Octopus Wine Pairing
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Baby Octopus
Baby octopus is a popular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, and it’s delicious on barbecues or in a casserole. Marinate this wild-caught baby octopus for an hour in white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and cracked salt and pepper for the perfect tangy and juicy flavour. Fry it in a cast-iron skillet or on the barbeque until golden for the perfect date night dinner.
Image via BWS website.
Lobster Reef Hidden Marker Sauvignon Blanc
If you’re looking for the best white wine with seafood, you can’t go wrong with this drop. Better yet, baby octopus pairs well with this Lobster Reef Hidden Marker Sauvignon Blanc that is fragrant, tropical and crisp. On the nose, expect notes of lime, lemon, orange and grapefruit. Made in New Zealand’s Marlborough region, the Lobster Reef Hidden Marker Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with savoury flavours like lightly-salted barbecued baby octopus.
Barramundi Fish Wine Pairing
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Whole Barramundi
Barramundi is one of the most popular catches for recreational fishers and is renowned for its generous size, as well as its buttery, clean white flesh. Pair this incredible fresh barramundi with a creamy garlic lemon butter sauce. Saute minced garlic in a small saucepan with butter until fragrant and golden, stir in lemon juice and dried basil, add salt to taste and remove from the heat. Serve with a fried or steamed whole barramundi to truly wow your dinner party.
Image via BWS website.
Heggies Vineyard Eden Valley Riesling
Pairing wine with fish and seafood doesn’t need to be complicated. And this is why the Heggies Vineyard Eden Valley Riesling is perfect thanks to its palate of refreshing fruit flavours including citrus curd, fresh lemon and lime zest. Pale straw in colour, drinkers can expect hints of geen apple, citrus blossom, sherbet and pink grapefruit that harmoniously blends in well with the garlic butter notes of the barramundi. Whether your barramundi is fried or steamed, the sauce heroes the wine, helping the dry and fruity notes bloom through with each mouthful.
Mussels Wine Pairing
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Live Spring Bay Black Mussels
Spring Bay mussels are award-winning mussels that are popular for fine dining and grown in the pristine waters of Tasmania. Warm yourself up on a winter’s evening with a bowl full of mussels. We recommend pairing it with a rich marinara sauce for a heavenly flavour. Cook butter, garlic, eschalots, spring onions, tinned tomatoes, Italian herbs, and chilli flakes in a frypan over medium heat. Add mussels to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, then serve. Preferably with a pinot noir to match!
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Eden Road The Long Road Pinot Noir
Usually with seafood red wine is simply a no-go zone, especially if the seafood is served fresh and as is, without other additions to whirl up the flavour profile. However, when it comes to pairing wine with mussels that are accompanied by acidic and spicy flavours, an intense red wine is most appeasing. Just like the Eden Road The Long Road Pinot Noir. Made from a boutique winery in New South Wales, this wine features red cherry, currant and clove spices on the nose. With a well structured fruity palate, it is sure to feel like a happily married couple across your tongue.
Lobster Wine Pairing
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Cooked Southern Rock Lobsters
Some people would start their dinner party with oysters or prawns, but we dare you to get adventurous with lobster. FishMe recommends a lobster slider, a mini version of a lobster roll. With your cooked Southern Rock Lobster, simply scoop out the available lobster meat and mix with mayonnaise, sour cream, shallots, tarragon, lemon zest, and celery. Then paste the mix onto some buttered rolls, whether toasted or fresh. However you eat lobster, it’s always best to match with chardonnay.
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Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay 2021
The reason why white wine pairs best with seafood – much like this Chardonnay and lobster – is due to their taste and texture. Some Chardonnays are aged in oak barrels, bringing notes of vanilla, others are very fruit-driven. The Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay 2021 is the latter, offering lemon, lime and elegant fruit aromas that’s then complemented by barrel fermentation and maturation in French oak. Proving to be an effective wine pairing with lobster, ensure that it is served buttery to enhance the wine’s flavour profile.
Kingfish Wine Pairing
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Hiramasa Kingfish Sashimi
Kingfish is the perfect start to a multi-course meal. Both because it jolts the appetite and cleanses the palate. And it doesn’t have to be an award-winning dish either. Simply slice up a few citrusy fruits, add some texture with nuts or crushed crackers, then drizzle in a flavoursome jus. You could even cook up some vegetables to add to the mix. The trick is to match the umami flavour of the kingfish with a mix of acidity and salt. Only then will it combine beautifully with our wine pairing, merlot.
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Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Merlot
If you’re trying to find a kingfish wine pairing, it is important to blend the dish with a wine that is just as daring as the saltiness of the seafood. We recommend the Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa Merlot, a berry-heavy limited wine release produced from one of South Australia’s five star Halliday rated wineries. Dusted with hints of tobacco, alongside the berry flavours drinkers will fine this savoury wine to be persistent, fine and silky that’s perfect for uplifting and kingfish dish.
Mud Crab Wine Pairing
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Mud Crab
Mud crabs are known for their meatiness, as well as their sweet, moist, and firm flesh. Pair this delicious Australian mud crab with a spicy garlic and chill sauce, made of easy-to-source pantry ingredients. Roast a whole bulb of garlic, a small onion, two cups of vegetable stock, ground pepper, and freshly sliced red chili in the oven at 230 degrees. Add your crab and coat the shell with sauce, cook at 240 degrees for 20 minutes and serve with a garnish of lemon. Oh, and as for your wine pairing…
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Jansz Premium Cuvee
Honestly, any seafood goes with a sparkling wine – especially dry proseccos. But with this hearty dish, featuring the soft umami flavour of mud crab and those tarty vegetable flavours, a boastful cuvee is in order. Ideally, the Jansz Premium Cuvee, grown and fermented in northern Tasmania. With sweet honeysuckle and citrusy scents, including roasted nuts and strawberry on the palate, it’ll be a match made in heaven!
Prawns Wine Pairing
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XL Australian Cooked Tiger Prawns
Now, there are a myriad of ways to serve your tiger prawns – from the classic prawn cocktail, served in a coup glass with tartare sauce lining the base; to mixing it in a spicy seafood spaghetti marinara. But, to perfectly match with a Pinot Grigio, we recommend serving it fresh with a squeeze of lemon, so as to match nicely with the umami flavour of prawn with the crisp and light body of a pinot grigio. And also because it’s fun watching your friends try and remember how to peel a prawn.
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Oakridge Over The Shoulder Pinot Grigio
On its own, prawns don’t do entirely well with any wine, which is why we recommend adding lemon. You could even add a light white sauce to accompany, like tartare or even Thousand Island dressing. However, if you’re looking for the best wine with prawns, the citrus, and even the tarty spices from sauce, will bring out the fruity side of this Oakridge Over The Shoulder Pinot Grigio – predominately apple and pear
Oysters Wine Pairing
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St. Helen's Shucked Pacific Oysters
Here’s another perfect start to a multi-course meal! And FishMe serves them freshly shucked to your door. Some people love them au naturale, and others prefer a little dressing to liven the flavour. If you must have a topping, stick to acidic flavours like citrus or tangy soy, and don’t be afraid to get a little adventurous with texture! Maybe add some finely chopped carrot or scoop of caviar which FishMe also sell. And whether au naturale or delicately dressed, be sure to pair with a rosé wine!
Image via BWS website.
Yering Station Yarra Rosé
The best wine to pair freshly shucked oysters with is a dry rosé wine. The best dry rosés are found in France, but this baby is made in the heart of Victoria’s Yarra Valley by winemakers Brendan Hawker and James Oliver. Best described as fruity, floral and fresh, the Yering Station Yarra Rosé is perfect for fresh seafood. Expect a myriad of flavours including roses and Turkish delight that provides an overall dry, clean and crisp wine that harmoniously works on any palate.
Meet your next wine match with our Guide To The 7 Best Wine and Cheese Pairings. Or why not try this Easy Char-Grilled Australian King Prawns Recipe.
So, to help you prepare your next seafood degustation at home, we’ve put together an easy guide to the best seafood and wine pairings you must try!