What wine goes with salmon and oily fish: white or red?
273 wines to serve with salmon and oily fishWith salmon and oily fish, serve a full-bodied, fresh white such as a Chardonnay or a Riesling, or a light Pinot Noir at around 14 °C. The rich flesh of salmon, tuna or mackerel can take wines with character, as long as they keep their liveliness.
For smoked salmon or gravlax, go for the tension of a German Riesling. A grilled fillet or seared tuna happily welcomes a supple red from New Zealand or Etna. Explore this path with our Pinot Noirs, chosen for their crunchy fruit.
Far Niente - Chardonnay 2023
A rich, elegant and beautifully balanced Chardonnay
False Bay - Slow Chenin Blanc 2022
A pure and digestible Chenin blanc with notes of ripe fruit
Creation - Pinot Noir 2024
Cool-climate Pinot Noir, cherry and raspberry on a silky texture.
Undurraga - Sauvignon Blanc 2019
A fresh and crisp white wine ideal for your summer aperitifs or around a seafood platter!
Erath - Pinot Noir 2019
An honest, fruity Oregon Pinot, made for the everyday table.
Creation - Chenin Blanc Cool Climate 2022
A Chenin produced on the cool soils of the east coast of the Cape
Niepoort - Redoma Branco 2019
Intense, mineral and precise, this white offers all the guarantees of a great vintage.
Te Mata Estate - Sauvignon Blanc 2022
With its exotic notes and freshness, this New Zealand Sauvignon is a delight.
Gaja - Etna IDDA rosso 2021
A precise and elegant Sicilian volcanic red, where the freshness of the altitude meets the depth of Nerello Mascalese.
Nicolas Jay - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2017
Willamette in the glass: ripe cherry and rose, with velvety tannins.
Thevenot Le Brun - Hautes Côtes Nuits blanc "Clos du Vignon" 2019
This Chardonnay is a subtle wine which fully expresses the aromas of white fruits, sweet almond and caramel.
Matías Riccitelli - Old Vine From Patagonia Torrontés 2024
A high-end Patagonian wine, made from old Torrontes vines
460 Casina Bric - Mesdì Bianco
A blend of 2 Piedmontese grape varieties, Arneis and Favorita
Anselmo Mendes - Contacto 2020
A mineral and fine wine, made by a master of Vinho Verde
Groot Constantia - Methode Cap Classique Brut
A sparkling wine from the Cape using the Champagne method, with exotic and brioche notes
Cullen - Moon Opposite Saturn Harvest - Sauvignon Blanc 2018
A complex and tense Sauvignon Blanc, made from biodynamic farming
Alheit Vineyards - Broom Ridge 2019
A high-class Chenin blanc from old Swartland vines
Riebeek Cellars & Ryno Booysen - Percheron Blanc 2021
A vibrant and aromatic white wine for immediate pleasure
Stellenrust - Kleine Rust White 2020
A white full of freshness with intense notes of tropical fruits.
La Famille K - Le Père Blanc 2018
Quinta dos Roques - Encruzado 2020
An elegant white wine from the Dão: crisp, fresh and finely chiselled
Joostenberg - Chenin Blanc 2019
A South African Chenin blanc with notes of white fruit and the chalky character typical of the Paarl vineyards
Mount Pleasant - Elizabeth 2016
An Australian Sémillon emblematic of its region: finesse, acidity and minerality are essential.
Paso Primero - Paso Primero Blanco 2019
A lovely white wine from Northern Spain, from vineyards at the foot of the Pyrenees
Which wine for which salmon dish?
The cooking method changes everything: raw fish calls for tension, grilled fish can take a red. Here are our pairings, recipe by recipe.
| Dish | Wines to choose | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked salmon blinis, toasts, homemade smoked salmon | Dry Riesling, brut sparkling wine | Acidity cuts through the fat and salt, and the bubbles lighten each bite. |
| Salmon gravlax or tartare gravlax with dill, tartare with lemon | Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc | Their aromatic freshness answers the dill and citrus. |
| Grilled salmon fillet salmon à la plancha, cooked skin-side only | Light Pinot Noir, rosé with character | Fine tannins and crunchy fruit that embrace the grilled skin. |
| Salmon with sorrel or en papillote salmon with sorrel, en papillote with lemon | Full-bodied Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc | The texture of the wine coats the flesh, and its freshness answers the acidity of the sorrel. |
| Seared or roast tuna sesame-seared tuna, Basque-style tuna | Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese), Pinot Noir | The almost meaty flesh of tuna calls for a fresh red with delicate tannins. |
| Grilled sardines or mackerel barbecued sardines, mackerel à la plancha | Lively white from Portugal, Cinsault from Chile or South Africa | Their liveliness balances powerful flesh and the smoky note of the grill. |
| Salmon en croûte or in cream coulibiac, salmon with cream sauce | Barrel-aged Chardonnay, Sémillon | A rich white stands up to the pastry and the sauce, with well-integrated oak. |
With salmon glazed with soy or honey, a Riesling with a touch of sweetness creates a lovely sweet and savoury contrast.
Dare to pair red with salmon
Salmon and tuna are among the few fish that happily welcome a red wine. Their dense flesh and natural oils balance fine tannins. Pinot Noir remains our first choice: served chilled, it brings crunchy red fruit and an acidity that refreshes every bite.
For seared tuna, look to Sicily: the Etna Rosso from Tenuta Monte Ilice, made from Nerello Mascalese, offers a mineral backbone and silky tannins. Cinsault, in its lighter version like the one from Gonzalo Guzmán in Chile's Itata Valley, is also at home with grilled sardines. For whites, Chardonnays from Australia and South Africa, or German Riesling, take over for creamy and smoked recipes.
Three pairings to try
Sesame-seared tuna and Etna Rosso. The volcanic notes of the wine answer the toasted crust.
Smoked salmon and German Riesling. A lemony tension that lightens the fat and salt.
Grilled sardines and chilled Cinsault. A light, generous red for a summer meal.
The Wine Wanderer Team
Your questions about wine and oily fish
What red wine goes with salmon?
Choose a light Pinot Noir, served at around 14 °C. Its fine tannins and red fruit go well with the rich flesh of salmon, especially when grilled or roasted. A Cinsault or a red from Etna made from Nerello Mascalese are excellent alternatives. Browse our light red wines to find yours.
What wine goes with smoked salmon?
With smoked salmon, serve a dry, lively white, ideally a Riesling from Germany or Austria. Its acidity cuts through the fat, and its citrus notes refresh the smokiness. A brut sparkling wine is also a lovely option for an aperitif or the festive season, with blinis and a little cream.
White or red wine with a salmon fillet?
Both work, depending on the recipe. A fillet with cream, with sorrel or en papillote calls for a full-bodied white such as Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc. A fillet grilled à la plancha, with crispy skin, goes very well with a light Pinot Noir or a rosé with character.
What wine goes with tuna?
For seared or roast tuna, a fresh red with silky tannins is ideal: Pinot Noir, Etna Rosso or Cinsault. Its firm, almost meaty flesh welcomes them very well. For raw tuna as tataki or tartare, go back to a lively white, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.
What wine goes with sardines or mackerel?
These powerful fish call for a lively, straightforward wine: a dry white from Portugal or Spain, a Sauvignon Blanc, or a light red such as Cinsault. The acidity balances their pronounced flavour. With mackerel marinated in white wine, a dry Riesling nicely extends the marinade.
At what temperature should wine be served with salmon?
Serve lively whites between 8 and 10 °C, fuller Chardonnays at around 12 °C and light reds between 13 and 15 °C. A chilled Pinot Noir keeps its crunchy fruit and goes better with the flesh of the fish. Twenty minutes in the fridge is enough to bring it to the right temperature.