Wine With Salmon (10 Irresistible Pairing Ideas, Best Wines)

Wondering what wine to pair with the delicious salmon dish you prepped for dinner?

It’s a common belief that fish usually goes well only with white wine, but that’s not the case with salmon.

While a meaty salmon will go wonderfully with classic Chardonnay, there are many more amazing wine and salmon pairing ideas you should try out!

Let’s find out how to pair wine with salmon and what wine goes well with the most delicious salmon dishes, and some amazing wine recommendations. 

We’ll also reveal an easy way to buy fine, collectible wines.

How to Pair Wine With Salmon

Pairing wine with salmon depends on:

• The type of salmon: A wild salmon is meatier than a farmed Atlantic salmon which tends to have more fat.
• The salmon recipe: A rich salmon dish with creamy sauce tastes quite different from a leaner salmon grilled with olive oil or raw salmon. 

Let’s see what type of salmon dish goes well with your favorite wine.

1. White Wine and Salmon

White wine usually pairs well with a variety of fish dishes, including white fish filet and salmon. 

Here are a few quick food pairing ideas:

• Sauvignon Blanc: This white wine’s fresh acidity and citrus flavor pairs well with salmon cooked with lemon juice or fresh herbs.
• Chardonnay: Whether you like unoaked Chardonnay or fuller-bodied oak aged Chardonnay, you won’t go wrong pairing it with a salmon with creamy sauce or butter.
• Riesling: This delightful white wine is an excellent choice for a salmon dish with more subtle flavors (e.g., baked salmon or poached salmon.) 
• Gewurztraminer: This wine has exquisite tropical aromas and citrus flavor notes that complement any spicy or savory-sweet salmon dish. So, this is your go-to wine if you like your salmon with ginger, brown sugar glaze, or sweet syrup marinades.
• Pinot Gris: This light fruity white wine matches well with most meaty fish and seafood dishes, including salmon.

2. Red Wine and Salmon

You might’ve heard that red wine doesn’t pair well with a fish fillet. However, salmon is an exception.

If you’re a red wine lover, the only thing you should keep in mind is not to pair a full-bodied wine with high tannin levels (like Cabernet Sauvignon or Barolo) with your salmon dinner. That’s because such intense wines can easily overpower the subtle salmon flavors. 

However, you can definitely pair your salmon with light-bodied red wines like:

• Pinot Noir
• Beaujolais
• Grenache

If you’re unsure which wine to pick, you can go for the most popular choice - Pinot Noir. This wine offers a more acidic profile that goes well with the salmon’s savory flavor. 

And the best part is that Pinot Noir is a great companion to most salmon dishes - from baked to slow-cooked and even smoked salmon.

3. Rose and Sparkling Wine and Salmon

If you feel like steering away from the classic white and red wine salmon pairing options, you can always go for a bottle of rose or, even better - a pink Champagne.

Rose has the qualities of both red and white wines - it has pleasant acidity, a hint of fruitiness, and irresistible minerality. 

Salmon pairs wonderfully with white sparkling wine as well. The bubbly’s distinct yeasty flavor entertains the palate while the wine’s high acidity elegantly cuts through richer and fattier salmon meals. 

Next, let’s explore some mouthwatering salmon dishes and which wines to pair them with.

Pairing Wine With Salmon Based on the Salmon Cooking Style (With Amazing Wine Recommendations!)

Here are our favorite salmon recipe ideas:

1. Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon is quite popular and can be served at any meal and in various styles. If you’re having smoked salmon appetizers, you can pair those with a light rose or sparkling wine. 

Other classic smoked salmon dishes can be accompanied by a Rose, elegant Sancerre, or classic Blanc de Blanc Champagne (made exclusively with Chardonnay grapes.)

Best wines to pair with smoked salmon:

• Pierre Peters Heritage Blanc de Blancs: $1,259
• 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Pere et Fils Chambertin Grand Cru: $3,106

2. Grilled Salmon

If you want to prepare grilled salmon, make sure you choose a fattier salmon fillet, so it doesn’t dry out on the grill. 

Once grilled, the salmon has an elegant meaty texture and smoked aromas. This makes it the perfect dish for a light red like Pinot Noir, but you can also combine it with a white Pinot Gris or oak aged Chardonnay.

Best wines to pair with grilled salmon:

• 2005 Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Musigny Grand Cru: $18,483
• 2002 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Selection de Grains Nobles Trie Speciale: $390

3. Teriyaki Salmon

You can prepare your teriyaki salmon in many different ways. 

Just marinate the salmon with teriyaki sauce or a mixture of teriyaki, hoisin, and soy sauce. Then glaze it with brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to give it a distinct sweet taste.

The perfect wine pairings for this salmon recipe are:

• Gewurztraminer
• Dry Riesling
• Pinot Noir
• Rose wine

Best wines to pair with teriyaki salmon:

• 1990 Joh. Jos. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese: $7,690
• 2016 Rose & Arrow Estate 'Black Walnut' Worden Hill Pinot Noir: $159

4. Salmon Stew

The traditional salmon stew recipe comes straight from Brazil and combines many flavorful ingredients like paprika, cumin, black pepper, and lemon juice. 

You can pair this dish with an aged Madeira, Sherry, or even an exotic Orange wine to balance out the rich flavors.

Best wines to pair with salmon stew:

• 1995 Gravner Ribolla Venezia Giulia IGT: $250
• Blandy's MCDXIX The Winemaker's Selection: $3,045 

5. Cured Salmon

Cured salmon is made by rubbing a mix of spices, salt, and sugar on a fresh salmon fillet which is then left to dry out for about 36 to 72 hours. 

Such salmon makes for a great appetizer and pairs well with Champagne, dry white, and rose wine.

Best wines to pair with cured salmon:

• 2016 Chateau d'Esclans Cotes de Provence Garrus Rose: $110
• 1996 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Rose Millesime: $2,364

6. Spicy Salmon

Most Asian dishes with salmon are spicy and flavorful. Some delicious recipe ideas:

• Sriracha glazed salmon
• Salmon with chili and lemon
• Glazed sesame salmon
• Firecracker salmon

The perfect wine pairings for these dishes are:

• Fuller-bodied rose wine
• Dry Riesling wine
• Gewurztraminer
• Sauvignon Blanc

Best wines to pair with spicy salmon:

• 2015 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore: $325
• 2018 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese: $19,206

7. Salmon with Cream Sauce

If you’re a fan of creamy or buttery sauces, you can always add those to your roasted salmon or poached salmon fillet.

Some great sauce additions to your favorite salmon dish are:

• Creamy garlic and lemon butter sauce
• Bearnaise sauce
• Beurre Blanc sauce
• Champagne sauce
• Buttery horseradish and caper sauce
• Herb and garlic cream sauce

This type of salmon dish goes well with full-bodied white wines like:

• Oaked Chardonnay
• Semillon wine
• Napa Sauvignon Blanc
• Trebbiano
• Gruner Veltliner

Best wines to pair with salmon with cream sauce:

• 2013 Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc: $7,671
• 1992 Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru: $14,558

8. Crispy Skin Salmon

This salmon dish has irresistible crispy skin and flaky meat. 

All you have to do is keep the salmon uncovered with the skin side up in the fridge for an hour. Then place it with the skin down in a cold pan and bring the heat up. This results in a perfectly seared salmon fillet with crispy skin and meaty flesh inside. 

This seared salmon steak recipe combines well with light red wines like:

• Gamay
• Beaujolais
• Grenache
• Carignan 

Best wines to pair with crispy skin salmon:

• 2013 Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon 'Cuvee 3.14': $373
• 2018 Azienda Agricola Serragghia 'Riserva Giotto' Carignano Terre Siciliane IGT: $323

9. Raw Salmon

Raw salmon dishes like Sashimi and Ceviche are great horderves, especially if you’re a sushi lover. 

Such fresh salmon dishes are a great accompaniment to:

• Rose wine
• Pinot Noir
• Chablis
• White Burgundy
• Champagne 

Their high acidity and pleasant minerality bring out the raw salmon’s flavor. If you decide to go for sparkling wine, the bubbles will create a perfect harmony with the raw salmon’s distinct texture.

Best wines to pair with raw salmon:

• 2016 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Romanee-Conti Grand Cru: $22,774
• 1990 Dom Perignon P3 Plenitude Brut: $3,710

10. Slow-Cooked Salmon

Slow-cooked salmon is an elegant dish that goes well with different salads and as a light lunch.

If you decide to cook the salmon with more spices and herbs, a great wine to pair it with is a light Sauvignon Blanc. You can also pair this dish with an unoaked Chardonnay bottle.

Best wines to pair with slow-cooked salmon:

• 2010 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru: $10,898
• 2003 Louis-Benjamin - Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Asteroide: $2,386

That’s quite a few recipes and wine suggestions, so let’s sum them up quickly.

Quick Summary: Wine Styles That Pair With Salmon 

Here’s a quick overview of what we just covered:

If you want to try any of these great wine and salmon pairings, go ahead and grab a bottle from your local wine shop. 

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Wine With Salmon: A Classic Pairing You Must Try

Wine with salmon is a pairing you can’t go wrong with. Knowing exactly which wine style pairs well with the salmon recipe of your choice can only elevate this classy experience to the next level.

Be sure to try out some of the amazing wines we recommended above!

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