Jan 2008
Serving wine with salty foods
January, 2008 Filed in: Serving wine
The saltiness of food is lessened by the acidity of wine. When a lemon is squeezed on fish it is often done to diminish the saltiness, the same happens when you serve wine with salty fish. That is why acidic white wines are suggested when combining with fish. You may want to consider not zesting your fish with lemon if you serve it with an acidic wine, such as a Pinot Grigio.
Salt perception is exaggerated by tannin so don’t serve big tannic wine with seafood. Alcohol is accentuated by salt. So if you serve high alcoholic wine, like Amarone, Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon with salty food it might come across as being like taking a shot of vodka.