What Wine With Your Fish? Part II - Taste

Knowing the different varieties of grapes is nought but a little peek into the world of wines. Many different factors can make a big difference in the taste of a wine, especially the place of origin and the vintage! The same grape grown in two separate countries, or even region, may be different because of the difference in soil and climate. Different vintages will also taste different depending on the weather and the amount of grapes harvested, and that's not even taking the different winemakers and their styles into consideration!

Of course, we are not going to make our heads spin with all that. When we just want a nice glass of wine to match our seafood, we only need to know that white wine can be divided into 3 main categories: Light & Crisp, Juicy & Aromatic, Full & Opulent. (Do remember that the information given below is deliberately arranged to be simple and generalised, there are no absolutes!)

1. Light & Crisp
- Clean, dry and refreshing
- Citrus, grass, mineral, herbaceous flavours
E.g. French Chablis, Italian Pinot Grigio, South African Chenin Blanc.

2. Juicy & Aromatic
- Medium-bodied, fragrant and fruity
- Citrus, floral, stone & exotic fruit flavours
E.g. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, French Pinot Gris, German Riesling.

3. Full & Opulent
- Full-bodied, complex and oily
- Oak, nuts, buttery toast, stone fruit flavours
E.g. French Chardonnay, Australian Sémillon, French Gewurztraminer, Californian Viognier.

You may want to try the wines before beginning to match them with food. Gather a few friends and buy a bottle from each category, share them while chit-chatting or fishing! When buying wines, it is our personal advise that you should start with a budget of around S$30 per bottle. Price do make a difference in quality and from experience, we feel that you are more likely to get one of reasonable quality, or even a bargain at this price. Personal favourite for drinking white wine on its own - Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough, New Zealand. Last but not least, enjoy the testing and tasting!


*As we are mainly concerned with matching wines to seafood, the dessert wines have been left out.