I want to scream when someone orders a heavy red wine with their fish. I like being this dramatic for a very good reason... it destroys your experience. Besides the obvious hesitation to pour the wine, its not me that will ruin your meal, rather its the actual chemical reaction going on in your mouth.
The iron in red wine in combination with the fatty acids in fish produce a very unpleasant odor. Whats sad about this is that a guest would blame the restaurant for the bad meal. Whenever I have someone order the two I always try to talk them out of it and it works. Heavy wines such as Cabernet, Zinfandel, Chianti, Montepulciano, Merlot, and Barolo are only some to avoid. Let me just say that Pinot Noir is your safest choice if you absolutely don't want white wine.
I know its simple to say "well, I like cabernets" and "I really want fish tonight" where thinking about the pairing is the last thing on your mind or even if you care at all...you just want your dinner!! Well, don't go off ruining your meal if you all you have to do is change the wine.
Food and wine pairing is so important and it took me a long time to learn that. It wasn't until I did a wine pairing at Degustation in NYC. It was ten courses with ten different wines where they weren't only focused on the dish itself but the sauces and herbs they were garnished with. I never thought that a spanish rose can bring out the lemon in a butter sauce more than any other wine I would have probably ordered with friends who "just want anything". I had dinner there twice and both have been a religous experience.
So, this will be the first step in pairing : Be careful with fish and red wine!! Science says so. So there.
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Throwback to when I was on the cover of Beverage Media Magazine
Everything about this was fun! It was a highlight of my career in this business!
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