Why red wine is no longer for meat, nor white wine for fish
There is so much diversity that the old rules of pairing have faded away.
If you eat fish, you should have white wine, and with meat, red. It's an association that some people still make automatically, especially among older generations, but times are changing, and it's time to move beyond it. The growing diversity of wines being produced, along with a cuisine that prioritizes subtlety over strong flavors, has led to a wide range of options when it comes to pairing food with wine. So nowadays, it's not difficult to find a perfect match for fish with a red wine or meat with a white.
Experts in the art of combining food and drink—pairing or harmony—arm themselves with arguments that invite us to open our eyes, although the best pairing may ultimately be the one the diner likes best, regardless of new or old recommendations. According to sommelier Josep Pitu Roca, from El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, says, "There are physiological and psychological, aromatic, traditional, landscape or emotional harmonies that can give meaning to these more academic statements," such as that of fish and meat, but "the person who has to eat the proposal is the most important."
Wine knowledge has grown in the last forty years. "Now, both white and red wines are valued equally," notes Roca, who also points out that pairings go beyond what tastes best. Now that there are more and more warm days, for example, it might be preferable to drink a fresh and light red wine even with a hearty meal: "The freshness and lightness are certainly appreciated more; and the playful, festive moment by the sea, for example, takes precedence over the academic view of a denser, firmer, and darker wine."
Sommelier François Chartier has created the aromatic science of molecular harmonies, through which ingredients and wines can be selected that pair well because they share aromatic molecules from the same family. "It's entirely possible to serve a white wine with red meat, or a red with fish. What's important is how the meat or fish has been cooked, and what accompaniments it's served with," he emphasizes. Grilled salmon with a red olive purée goes wonderfully with a Syrah or Monastrell red wine; a half-portion with a creamy cheese sauce and sautéed mushrooms pairs perfectly with a Macabeo white. will liveor a Rioja Reserva.
Generational change
Toni Albiol, Catalonia's Best Sommelier 2023 and director of the Divins wine shop in Martorell (Baix Llobregat), explains that, "to a certain extent, you can understand why 20, 30, or 40 years ago people thought that white wine was better for fish and red wine for meat": wines, wines, wines, wines, wines, wines, wines. He recalls that "even the wineries themselves had made the association," as with two best-selling wines: Blanc Pescador (produced since 1967), linked to the Perelada winery, used to feature fishermen on its label and now features fish, suggesting it should be paired with fish, while the 1954 vintage is now a striking red with a bull and is recommended to be paired with meat.
Some people, especially older generations, still firmly believe that white wine is for fish and black wine is for meat. "We must respect people's freedom to do things as they wish," asserts Albiol, but at the same time, the wine-interested customer has evolved and, if given advice, is open to trying new things. According to Marta Casas, winemaker at the Parés Baltà winery (DO Penedès and Cava) and sommelier, the new generations have a lot to do with it, driven more by curiosity than by stereotypes. "Young people aren't so pigeonholed into things like that, and sometimes they don't even realize it," Casas observes, and they are willing to taste "more vibrant" wines, wines with a more pronounced character, or orange –white wines macerated with the skins–, or lighter in color, with moderate alcohol and higher acidity.
Wineries have modernized to offer wines that meet new demands. Parés Baltà is already producing them. orangeAncestral sparkling wines—made with a single fermentation—and wines from recovered varieties, such as Hortura and Monedero, as well as other more established traditional varieties like Malvasia de Sitges and Sumoll, are being produced. In the Penedès region, a "revolution" is underway in this area, driven by young winemakers who are going it alone to offer good wines at higher prices to improve their living standards. Casas's study of this movement has earned him the Weinakademiker certificate from the Austrian Wine Academy in Rust, which could pave the way for him to obtain the prestigious international title of Master of Wine.
The restaurant experience
Wine selection can be a great way to explore flavors at home or in a restaurant, as the sommelier at El Celler de Can Roca illustrates with a prawn. "If you think about the art of pairing, the head of a prawn is completely different from the tail. For me, that would be two wines. A sip of a dark, concentrated wine to moisten your lips after sucking the prawn's head, and a light wine, a cube, the leather," he explains. "Discovering these differences within a menu can create a feast for the senses, a symphony where all wine styles find points of connection."
Fishology, the Barcelona restaurant that has earned its first Michelin star, features fish as its star, but prioritizes preserved, salted, aged, pickled, and smoked dishes. "Because we do things differently, our customers are open to suggestions," explains Giulia Gabriele, co-owner and head of service at Fishology. After all, she points out, "people think white wines are for fish, but there are also very robust white wines that can pair well with delicate dishes because they're aged in oak." To complement their dishes, they serve red wines or vermouth with oysters, while in winter, their reinterpretation of fricandó, made with tuna heart, pairs well with Catalan Syrah wines, Garnacha-Cariñena from the Montsant DO, or a Taladrado from the Conca de Barberà DO.
Bardeni, also in Barcelona, specializes in meat, and red wines continue to be more popular than white. At the helm of the kitchen is chef Dani Lechuga, who confesses that he became "disillusioned" with wine in the past, especially by those who boast of being great connoisseurs, so he strives to be pragmatic. "I have a restaurant where I don't want people to spend more money on wine than on food," he says, and he believes that "everyone should be able to choose the wine they like, without being subject to what others tell them or recommend."
When choosing a wine, it's not just the main ingredient of the dish, whether meat or fish, that matters. "The sauces, their colors and densities, as well as the seasonings or garnishes, can radically change the wine pairing," emphasizes Roca, for whom a white wine with white meat in a white sauce or a red wine with tuna in a traditional stew are options that showcase "the complexity of the harmonies and the overall composition." Albiol also says that "it's a common mistake to try to pair a wine with the main ingredient of the dish," so you also have to consider the sauces, side dishes, and cooking method.
