Many guests at Pier Market want to know the best wine pairing with salmon. We love helping since we are well known for mesquite-grilled seafood and we are located on PIER 39 which is just a short drive from wine country. We are happy to help guide you to learn what kind of wine goes with salmon.
General Guide on Wine Pairing with Salmon
Being an oily fish, the best wine to pair with salmon is typically full-bodied white wines – like white pinot noir, oak aged chardonnay. However, when deciding what wine goes well with salmon it’s important to take into account the preparation style including the cooking method and what type of sauce.
Pairing Wine With Salmon
Plain Salmon
When eaten plain, the best wine with salmon is typically oak-aged or time-aged chardonnay. These wines bring out the richness of the salmon flavor and create a fuller taste. There are many congruent and complementary wines that will do this very nicely.
Teriyaki Salmon
To determine what wine goes with salmon when it is prepared with a teriyaki glaze, it’s best to compliment the sweet flavor that comes with the sauce. There are many different types of teriyaki sauce, but most get their sweet flavor from brown sugar or honey. For this complement we recommend Moscato or a dry Riesling.
Cajun Salmon
When prepared cajun style, the fish gets a much stronger intense flavoring of the grill. Thus, to decide what would be good wine with salmon in this situation we recommend warm climate sauvignon blanc, such as one from Napa, or an oak-aged chardonnay.
You may have noticed most of our recommendations for wine pairing with salmon are white wines. But that does not necessarily have to be the case if you prefer red wine.
Red Wine with Salmon
The trick with reds when wine pairing with salmon is to choose a low-tanning red wine. High tannins will make the fish taste metallic which is not appealing to most wine and salmon palets. For instance, you could choose a Lambrusco which is a bubbly red, or Gamay from France.
Since we offer so many different salmon preparations at Pier Market, as well as a vast wine list, we hope that this article has helped you understand what wine pairs with salmon so you can feel more confident when choosing your beverage. If you would still like more help, please ask your server or manager when you dine with us and we are more than happy to help guide you in the right direction. We can’t wait to see you on PIER 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf for perfectly cooked salmon paired with your new knowledge.