Pairings | Grenache gris

The best wine matches for turbot

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on December 29 2015 at 14:23

Turbot is a luxurious fish you might well be serving over the holiday period, most probably roast or seared. But what sort of wine should you pair with it?

Personally I prefer a white to a red - a serious white burgundy like the Sylvain Loichet Les Gréchons Ladoix 1er Cru 2013 we had on Christmas eve a couple of years ago or an equally lush full-bodied white. It’s often served with a deeply savoury sauce, sometimes with mushrooms that suits a white with some bottle age.

* oaked white Rioja - consistently undervalued, rich savoury fish dishes like this are where white rioja comes into its own.

* top quality Douro whites

* white Hermitage, white Châteauneuf-du-Pape or white Saint Joseph - depending on your budget (in other words a Roussanne or Marsanne or blend of the two). (Chateau Tahbilk in Victoria would also work.)

*white Roussillon wines based on Grenache Gris and/or Grenache Blanc - or white Minervois as in this post

*white burgundy or other serious chardonnay - particularly if you're serving your turbot with a buttery sauce such as beurre blanc. That includes aged Grand Cru Chablis

*aged dry white Bordeaux

*good quality Soave

*sake (I haven’t tried this I must confess but it strikes me it would work really well)

If you do want to drink red I’d suggest a mature red burgundy or other good quality pinot noir though there’s no reason why you shouldn’t drink a more robust red like a Bordeaux if the sauce includes red wine.

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