Salmon is one of the great summer treats and fortunately it goes really well with many of our favourite wines. You don’t say how you are cooking your fish, which does make a difference. Here are a few suggestions that should cover every which way of serving salmon.
Overall, any white wine with good acidity will cut through the richness of the salmon, and if it has enough body, it will match the full flavours of the fish too. When it comes to salmon you can forget the old adage of white wine only with fish. A light red wine such as a pinot noir or gamay won’t have any jarring tannins and works really well with seared or roast salmon. Don’t forget rosé wines either; they go very well with salmon and will bring a summery feel to the proceedings. If you are celebrating, you could serve sparkling wine before and during the meal. Champagne, Cava or a Crémant will all do very nicely.
In the summer months it is nice to offer a show-stopping whole salmon, and it certainly makes life easier if you serve it cold. Cold poached salmon served with a dill mayonnaise goes very well with most crisp dry white wines. An unoaked chardonnay such as Chablis would be my favourite, but an albariño from Spain, or a light chenin blanc from the Loire would all do nicely, as would a riesling from Australia. Dill or any other herb would make a nice match with sauvignon blanc, from Sancerre, New Zealand or Chile, or a grüner veltliner from Austria.
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If you are serving your poached (or baked) whole salmon warm with a rich buttery sauce such as hollandaise, then you need to increase the wine flavours a little. An oaked chardonnay works really well, as does a richer South African chenin blanc.
Grilled or seared salmon has more robust flavours, so pinot noir or gamay might be best here, although a rich South African chenin or a more textured pinot gris would also provide a good match.
Overall, you are unlikely to go wrong if you serve a chardonnay for white wine lovers and a pinot noir for those who prefer red.
