Wine matches for fish and seafood

Baked white fish
Try whites made from the Albarino grape with baked white fish. In Galicia, peachy, unoaked Albarino is the drink with a traditional dish of hake, peppers, potatoes and olive oil.

Salmon, tuna or monkfish
Chablis is one of the best matches for fuller flavoured fish – try it with fresh salmon, tuna or monkfish. The richness of the Chardonnay grape (Chablis is 100% Chardonnay) shines through, and there’s a lighter, crisper note than in other Chardonnays.

Smoked salmon
Go for a richer, oaky Chardonnay – say, from South Africa – to marry with smoked salmon or smoked fish pâtés. The oakiness of the wine works well with the smoky hints in the fish.

Sushi
Forget the rice wine, the beer or the sake – go Spanish with sushi. The fresh and salty, bone-dry qualities of fino and manzanilla sherries are sensational with prawn, salmon and tuna sushi.

Trout
Try light, slightly herbaceous Italian whites with herb-baked trout – Pinot Grigio or Soave. Lugana from the Lake Garda area is especially good.

Mussels and oysters
Light French whites are always food-friendly with fish and seafood dishes. Try Muscadet with steamed mussels and oysters; inexpensive Bordeaux Blanc with fresh white fish dishes. Riesling is also usually a good bet with fish.

Prawns
Try a delectable, summery rosé/rosado. Pick a young, bright, vivacious pink and pair it with prawns, anchovies, swordfish or seafood tapas.

Asian or Thai fish and seafood dishes
Choose more exotic, perfumed, unusual whites with fragrant Asian fusion and Thai fish dishes. Alsace Gewürztraminer and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc make spectacular partners for these.

Creamy sauces
Champagne and other dry (brut) sparkling wines are great with white fish in creamy sauces. Try to pick a relatively full-flavoured fizz, though – a rounded, ripe one from Australia or California, or splash out on one of the richest Champagnes, like Bollinger.

Hearty dishes
Although heavy, tannic reds are hopeless with fish and seafood, do try a light, juicy red such as Pinot Noir with the most hearty recipes. These include rich salmon dishes, bacalao (salt cod) and seafood paella.