Wine with salmon: Ideas for great pairings

We explore which wines pair well with salmon, taking into consideration various cooking and preparation methods and flavour profiles. While you may want to pair smoked salmon with sparkling wine, salmon in a creamy sauce may go better with Assyrtiko or an oaked Chardonnay. Spicy dishes might call for a Riesling or Pinot Gris whereas Pinot Noir could pair well with seared salmon.

Is salmon on the menu tonight? Whether you’re cooking at home or eating out, salmon is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in several different ways. Think poached, grilled, seared, barbecued or smoked to name but a few – and it can even be enjoyed raw in sushi and sashimi.

But what wines should you pair with salmon? There’s an array of grapes and wine styles that will happily match salmon; from crisp whites and sparkling wines to elegant rosés and light reds. It all depends on how the salmon is prepared, as this will influence both the texture and flavour of the fish.

The table below gives a quick guide to some reliable pairings, but the list is by no means exhaustive. Read on for more tips and ideas…

Styles to choose when pairing wine with salmon:

What to drink with smoked salmon

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From canapés and light summer lunches, to Christmas mornings and Scandinavian gravlax, quality smoked salmon is a classic ingredient. Champagne makes a luxury match for smoked salmon; its high acidity cuts through the richness of the fish, while its bubbles refresh your palate. But French crémants can also do the same job at a more wallet-friendly price.

Other sparkling styles will work just as well. Consider Spain’s flagship fizz Cava or Tasmanian sparklers, as well as South Africa’s Cap Classique. Matthieu Longuère MS, wine development manager of Le Cordon Bleu London, suggests a vintage English sparkling wine wine with smoked salmon canapés. ‘Thanks to its high acidity, it should also handle the saltiness of smoked salmon,’ he says.

Sparkling wines made with Chardonnay in a blanc de blancs style, are a particularly good choice with smoked salmon. But Chardonnay is not the only go-to grape. ‘For a classic smoked salmon dish with onion, capers and a slice of lemon, a Riesling will be great,’ says Jolanta Dinnadge, wine buyer at The Biltmore Mayfair.

Meanwhile for smoked salmon served Scandi-style as gravlax, Austria’s Grüner Veltliner will be a winning match. Its fresh citrus and herbal notes will complement the dill, while a kick of white-pepper spice adds interest to the pairing.

What to drink with salmon and cream sauces

As with other fish dishes, a creamy sauce can be more of a wine pairing challenge than the main ingredient itself. You could choose a wine with brisk acidity to cut through the creaminess, or for a more subtle match choose a wine that has both fresh acidity and a touch of creaminess on the palate from oak or time on lees.

‘If the salmon is accompanied with butter and cream, you should go more for a Chardonnay with a bit of oak to highlight the fish,’ explains Wilfried Rique, formerly restaurant general manager at Hilton Hotels.

Greek Assyrtiko with its electrifying acidity, is a great foil for salmon in creamy sauces or salmon cooked in butter. An unoaked Chardonnay, such as Chablis is a reliable choice, so too bone-dry Muscadet from the Loire Valley. A pale pink Provence rosé can also work beautifully. 

What to drink with salmon and citrus flavours

Fish and citrus are often served together: think seared salmon fillet with a squeeze of fresh lemon. For me, Italian whites are a natural match here. As well as the ever-popular Pinot Grigio, look for grapes such as Vermentino, Fiano and Grillo, which makes fresh, lemony wines. Island whites from Sicily and Sardinia sometimes have a fresh salty tang that works well with simply grilled salmon too. 

Fresh whites from coastal wine regions are always a safe bet with fish and can naturally complement citrus flavours. Try Portuguese Vinho Verde, featuring the Alvarinho grape, or its Spanish cousin Albariño from Rías Baixas. 

If fresh herbs also feature in your citrus salmon dish, one other grape is a safe bet. ‘The minerality and herbaceous notes of a classic Sauvignon Blanc will match well with a salmon cooked with fine herbs and citrus,’ says Rique.

What to drink with spicy salmon

Pairing wine with spicy food doesn’t have to be tricky. This could mean salmon prepared with Japanese flavours such as wasabi and teriyaki sauces, as well as oriental spice combinations involving ginger and garlic.

‘We like to choose a Riesling from Germany or a Pinot Gris from Alsace to enhance the flavours of salmon cooked with some spices,’ advises Rique.

There are also spicy South American salmon dishes such as salmon tacos with jalapeño or vibrant salmon ceviche with chilli spice. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will complement the zesty flavours of ceviche. It’s also a good choice for tacos, though Grüner Veltliner or an exotic Riesling would work too.

What to drink with salmon sushi

Mineral whites such as Chablis and Muscadet (see above) make a reliable – and classic – pairing with salmon sushi and sashimi. But don’t forget Japan’s signature grape Koshu as well. Its delicate, clean-fruited wines can perfectly complement the pure flavours of sushi.

‘For sushi, as it is a small bite, I would recommend a crispy and citrusy wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay,’ says Rique. ‘Sancerre is a good go-to as it balances well with the acidity of the salmon but has enough strength to match with the bold note of the rice.’

Meanwhile Natasha Hughes MW recommends fino and manzanilla with sushi and sashimi in her article on pairing Sherry with Eastern flavours.

Can you drink red wine with salmon?

While it’s a myth that red wine never matches with fish, it’s generally better to avoid bolder styles brimming with tannins. ‘An absolute no is to pair a full-bodied red wine with salmon as this will kill both the wine and the fish’s flavours,’ says Dinnadge. Opt for lighter styles such as Beaujolais and New World Pinot Noir.

High consumer demand means that farmed Atlantic salmon has become much more prevalent on dinner tables, and farmed varieties also tend to have a fattier texture than their wild cousins.

For seared salmon, and particularly farmed varieties, ‘the obvious choice is a chilled Pinot Noir’, says Beckett. ‘Pinot picks up perfectly on the richness of the fish and the caramelised crust,’ she explains.

This article has been fully updated in June 2024, including new wine reviews. It was originally published in 2019. 

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