The finest wines to pair with fish dishes

Beyond its versatility in the kitchen, fish has formidable properties for wine pairing and its qualities can be highlighted according to its seasonality.

The sea offers numerous varieties of fish, therefore, in addition to being an ethical choice, eating according to the period of the year means respecting the environment and promoting its balance. Cradle of civilisation, the Mediterranean teems with blue fish, rich in omega3 and fatty acids. The best pairing for blue fish is with white wine, even with brief maceration, fresh, not too aromatic that can well accompany the freshness and balance the fattiness of the fish. A rounded and elegant and delicate variety like the Trebbiano di Romagna Duomo di Faenza from the 1502 Da Vinci in Romagna collection. Not overpowering but keeping all flavours in harmony, this white wine manages to keep the palate fresh and clean.

In summer, a course of shellfish or a fine plateau de fruits de mer, typically a sweet dish but very well balanced and delicious, pairs perfectly with a savoury and fresh wine, such as the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie from the Da Vinci I Capolavori collection.
In autumn, as the climate changes throughout the Mediterranean, fish soups are famous, from north to south, from the Livornese cacciucco to the Anconetan brodetto. With gurnet, octopus, cuttlefish, mullet and monkfish, soups are succulent dishes, fatty and that provoke a high degree of salivation: reverse front then, with particularly tannic or alcoholic wines capable of drying the excessive salinity and a regional pairing cannot but be a triumph. In this case, fish dishes are paired with red wines or white or rosé wines: a Portocanale di Cesenatico from the 1502 Da Vinci in Romagna collection or a Rosso di Montalcino. The soup pairs excellently with a soft and tannic and non-acidic wine, like reds. Red wines for fish are therefore a taboo to dispel: it pairs perfectly even with lean blue fish, such as cod, in order to impart a boost of flavour.

Moving into the colder period and heading towards winter, we have the opportunity to have octopus, squid and other molluscs perfect for warm seafood salads to be enjoyed on any occasion. An appetiser but also a main course, an elaborate dish but easy to prepare, oily that satisfies any palate. One above all, Vermentino cultivated in Tuscany, such as the Streda from the Villa da Vinci collection, a semi-aromatic that expresses the right structure and a remarkable pleasantness even away from the mouthful.