From hearty fish stews to shellfish pasta, these bottles will complement your catch of the day. It might feel daunting thinking about which wine to pair with different types of seafood – from juicy mussels to flaky white fish or rich crab, each offers different qualities to match with the notes and aromas of a good bottle of wine. Wine expert Henry Jeffreys has chosen four classic seafood dishes and identified the best types of wine to pair with them, including specific bottle recommendations to get you started. And yes, sometimes you can drink red wine with fish.

Advertisement
Are you thinking about joining the BBC Good Food Wine Club? In partnership with Laithwaites, membership means you'll have a case of top-notch bottles delivered to your door every 12 weeks.

Take your pick of mixed, red or white wines and enjoy trying out new discoveries with every delivery, all hand-picked by our experts. Plus, with your very first box, as well as making an £83 saving on the RRP, you'll receive a free bottle of Prosecco, plus four wine tumblers and free delivery.

Find out more and try your first subscription here.

Selection of white wine

Wine pairing at a glance:

  • Cala Rey goes well with: mussels
  • Frappato goes well with: cod & chorizo stew
  • Chardonnay goes well with: roast sea bream
  • Soave goes well with: crab linguine

Best wine to serve with mussels: Cala Rey

Mussels, white wine & parsley

A simple and classic dish like steamed mussels requires a suitably crisp, elegant white wine. Cala Rey is a unique new blend of a Spanish grape Verdejo with Sauvignon Blanc. There’s a grassy herbal note which will go splendidly with the parsley. You can maximise its impact by using a glass in the recipe.

We recommend pairing our mussels with white wine & parsley with a bottle such as:
Cala Rey Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc, £11.99, Laithwaites.

Best wine to serve with spicy cod: Frappato

Cod & chorizo stew

Remember, you don’t just have to serve white wine with fish. Red can work, too. A light red like this delicious strawberry and pomegranate-scented Sicilian Frappato can work, especially if there’s chorizo and tomatoes in the mix.

We recommend pairing our cod & chorizo stew with a bottle such as:
w/o organic Frappato, £11.99, Laithwaites

Best wine to serve with sea bream: Chardonnay

Whole roast bream with potatoes & olives

One taste of this combination, and you’ll understand why Chardonnay is often such a great food wine. While it’s fresh and lemony, it’s also has a creamy body which will meld magnificently with the melting potatoes in this roast fish dish.

More like this

We recommend pairing our Whole roast sea bream with potatoes & olives with a bottle such as:
Don Cayetano Chardonnay, £8.99, Laithwaites

Best wine to serve with crab: Soave

Spaghetti with crab, cherry tomatoes & basil

Of all the seafood, crab with its rich flavour can be the hardest to match with food. The classic additions to a crab pasta of bitter capers and acidic tomatoes aren’t easy either. A rosé would equally be a good thing here, but we think this almond-textured Soave would be even better for a white wine pairing with a bit of interest.

We recommend pairing our Spaghetti with crab & cherry tomatoes with a bottle such as:
Colle Marianna Soave, £11.99, Laithwaites

More from BBC Good Food Wine Club

Find out more about the BBC Good Food Wine Club and what is in this season's specially curated member's boxes here. If you like discovering new bottles, discounts on great bottles and learning more about wine from experts, then this is the Wine Club for you. Subscribe to regular deliveries, or choose one of our three boxes (mixed, red or white wine) to give as a gift to a fellow wine lover.

Advertisement

The best wines to drink with chicken
The best wines to drink with pork
The best wines to drink with pasta
The best wines to drink with Indian food
Complete guide to wine varieties

Comments, questions and tips

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement