Is there a single area of Irish life where we can be sure there's nothing fishy going on? Up to a few years ago, it seemed our dietary habits were a pretty safe bet in this regard. But look what's happening now, with salmon a supermarket staple all year round and pan-seared scallops in every second restaurant. "One Irish person in two eats fish or seafood once a week," reports Majella Fitzsimons of Bord Iascaigh Mhara. More, I'd guess, in summer, when so many different species are at their tender, juicy best.
From what I can gather, the pattern of our fish consumption sounds a bit like the Irish line on the graph of European wine - a long way down but climbing. We now eat nine kilos of fishy stuff per head per year - only a fraction of what some of our EU neighbours manage, great piscatorial guzzlers that they are, and limping some way behind Britain, whose figures are boosted by the national craving for fish and chips. Still hesitant fish cooks, we're more inclined to be marine adventurers in restaurants. But what about wine to make the most of those nine tasty kilos?
The old fish-needs-white-wine rule is reasonable enough as a starting point. The more delicate your fish or shellfish, the better off you'll be with a light and subtle wine. Both Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, from Europe rather than the New World, probably solve more fishy dilemmas than all the other white grape varieties in the world put together. But step towards stronger flavours, whether in the seafood itself or other ingredients in a dish, and you'll need a more assertive wine. Below are some summery combinations which seem to me to taste so good they might even send our cautious fish consumption skywards. See what you think - but don't consider them as watertight. As with all food and wine matching, just messing about, following your own hunches, is more than half the pleasure.
Poached Salmon
Old hands at wine punditry are forever saying good wines are best with simple food. And, presumably, vice versa. For a succulent piece of wild salmon, simply cooked, you deserve nothing less than a decent white Burgundy. Chablis of the steeliest sort will make the fish taste bitter, so it's wise to choose a slightly softer, fuller style. Chablis St Martin, Domaine Laroche, 1998 (Martin's Fairview, Bennett's Howth, Cheers-Gibneys Malahide, Redmond's Ranelagh, McCabe's Merrion, Mill Cellar Maynooth, Galvin's Cork and some other outlets, usually about £14) seems just right, with plenty of ripe fruit, super-smooth texture and a lingering finish. A treat with other things such as plaice, lemon sole, hake, prawns and lobster, too.
Ceviche
I spent a huge chunk of last summer chopping up salmon for this lime and chilli-drenched Peruvian palate-cleanser. Was it maybe just an excuse to pour bottle after bottle of zippy, lime-fresh Australian Riesling - a wine that streaks into first place as the perfect match, ahead of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc? Knappstein Clare Valley Riesling 1998 (selected outlets of Dunnes Stores, £7.99) is one of my favourites for this brilliant summer starter - light, citrussy and bracing.
Trout
White wines by the shelf-load go well with trout. Nothing too acid, mind you, and nothing too swamped by sunny New World fruit flavours, but that still leaves white Bordeaux, dry German Riesling, Italian Lugana or Soave, among others. All fine and dandy, but why not be different? Follow the advice of London wine writer Kathryn McWhirter and partner your trout with a dry Spanish rose made from Garnacha, like our pink pick of the week in May, Gran Feudo Rosado, Navarra, Bodegas Julian Chivite, 1998 (all Superquinns, many SuperValus/Centras, Roches Stores, Molloys Liquor Stores and many other outlets, usually £6.99). Believe me, it's an inspired choice.
Tuna
If salmon is substantial enough to stand up to a light red wine (and it certainly is, should you feel that way inclined), meatier tuna is an even stronger candidate for red - especially as it often comes with the slightly charred flavours imparted by pan-grilling. Try a Loire red like Chinon, or a soft, easy Pinot Noir from the New World whose slight touch of sweetness will be terrific if you happen to have Mediterranean-style vegetables - ripe oven-roast tomatoes, say, or char-grilled peppers - on the side. Elegant Wente Pinot Noir, Reliz Creek Reserve, Monterey, 1995 (selected Dunnes Stores, £10.49) is spot-on.
Scallops
Nothing to get too hung-up about here. These are flexible wine friends which will allow you to tread the Sauvignon or Chardonnay path in safety - or even boldly match the sweetness inherent in scallops with something like Vouvray or Viognier. Just this once, I'm plumping for safe ground, however, with Charles Vienot Rully, 1997 (Superquinn, £7.99) - quite a soft, full-flavoured Burgundy at a bargain price. It'll go with salmon, too, or plaice cooked in butter.
Crab
Here's one of those combinations that tastes so stunning you wish you could magically keep both elements permanently to hand. Crab tastes good with Sauvignon Blanc, but better still when the classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon and Semillon gets a little extra Australian oomph. Xanadu Secession, Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Margaret River, 1997 (Mitchells, £10.95; also Direct Wine Shipments Belfast) is a super wine, at the stylish, restrained end of the New World spectrum. Why Secession? Named after the Viennese art movement of 1897-1915, they tell us on the back label, to emphasise the creativity of the winemaking at Xanadu - the Western Australian winery set up by Omagh doctor John Lagan in the 1970s. A touch pretentious, what?
Prawns
Again, you won't go far wrong with a lightish white Burgundy or Bordeaux, but here's another suggestion, well worth putting to the test. Albarino from Galicia in northern Spain combines lovely, lemony freshness with a soft, round character that marries perfectly with the delicate, barely sweet flavour of fresh prawns. Burgans Albarino, Rias Baixas, Martin Codax, 1997 (Oddbins, £8.69; also Karwigs Wine Warehouse Carrigaline, or direct by the case from Approach Trade Ireland, 051-640164) is a winner. But careful! For newly modish prawn cocktail, you'd be better off with Pinot Blanc or a dry Sauvignon.
Lobster
Sweeter, richer, more intense . . . now we're getting serious. No point pairing the king of crustaceans with some cheap, wishy-washy plonk - so if you're going to splash out on this luxury pink flesh, pick a wine to do it justice. Meursault is the classic choice, but more imaginative, less expensive and every bit as delicious in a beautifully buttery way is Omaka Springs Marlborough Chardonnay, 1996 (O'Briens Fine Wines, also Jus de Vine Portmarnock, £10.99). From a New Zealand winery we're likely to hear more of.
Seafood Salad
Antipasto frutti di mare - the Italians do it best, so team it up with Italy's best whites which will have all the acidity you need to match the dressing of oil, lemon juice and lashings of parsley. You could reach for Lugana, or Verdicchio, or Sardinia's Vermentino, but do yourself a double favour and discover how good Soave can be, with San Vincenzo Soave Classico Superiore, Anselmi, 1997 (McCabe's Merrion, Cheers-Gibneys Malahide, Mill Maynooth, Noble Rot Navan and some other outlets, £9.99-£10.59). Revolutionary Roberto Anselmi works in body, flavour and wonderful, silky texture.
Fish And Chips, And More . . .
That man of so much solid wine sense, Michael Broadbent, enjoys fish and chips with a bottle of dry sherry - and, having tried it once, I must admit it's not half-bad. But, not being Andalusians, we can't readily get our heads around the idea of knocking back generous quantities of sherry with main course food. Simple white Bordeaux is probably a happier alternative - especially if it's as gloriously gulpable as Chateau La Freynelle Bordeaux 1997 (Searson's Monkstown, £6.95, or by mail order, tel 01 2800405; also On the Grapevine Dalkey, DeVine Wine Shop Castleknock, Wine Centre Kilkenny). And fishily versatile, too. See Bottle of the Week.