The Right Wines for Your Catch of the Day
When I turned 15, I took a “mate” job aboard the fishing vessel SUKE on the weekends. We headed to the Hudson Canyon, 105 miles off the New Jersey coast, where the continental shelf falls into the abyss and the pelagic action is intense.
You can imagine my delight coming to Florida, the game fishing capital of the world, where that drop is only three miles off the coast. It meant easy access to my love for everything that swims in the ocean that can be hunted.
The best day of a fisherman’s life is the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. I’ve seen the hole in the ocean you throw money in, and I gave it up about 10 years ago. Now I have four captains on speed dial who see my paycheck four times a year when I need to put meat on the deck. Mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, yellowtail snapper, grouper and kingfish are the usual suspects that end up on deck depending on the time of the year. Then comes the dilemma of what to drink with these tasty sea creatures. Here are some sustainable wines to go with your local catch.
Mahi – “strong” in the Hawaiian language – gets its name from their powerful swimming and spawning abilities. Also known as dorado, Spanish for “gold.” mahi has beautiful golden-green-blue scales. To me, the fish is mild and sweet, with lean, firm and almost meaty flesh that has a delicate and moist texture. Somewhere milder than swordfish, but stronger than halibut, mahi is best simply grilled or pan roasted. Drink it with Arnot Roberts Sauvignon Blanc “Randle Hill Vineyard” Yorkville Highlands California 2021. Its mineral and saline flavors are balanced with a hint of herbaceous and floral aromatics and aromas of lemon zest. Only 14 barrels were produced.
Blackfin tuna is important for anglers because they’re fierce fighters. The flesh is superbly tasty as long as the fish has been bled correctly. When it’s handled by a master, this can double for any other sushi-grade tuna. Eat it rare or simply grilled and drink a M&C Lapierre Morgon 2021 from an iconic estate that reestablished Morgon as one of the great wines in Beaujolais. Their style is to pick grapes slightly later, resulting in a wine with richer and more concentrated fruit that can handle the muscular structure – cherry, violet, raspberry and a very light touch of licorice. The texture of the wines combines both lightness and richness. Morgon has an aging potential of around 10 years on average, although many vintages age much longer.
Yellowtail snapper, with a scientific name that roughly translates to “swift-swimming golden fish,” is high in protein and one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s a staple on South Florida menus. I like mine pan seared and finished Meunier-style with capers. I love the Vietti Roero Arneis 2021 with this. It has a brilliant straw-yellow color and a refined fresh nose with aromatic notes of ripe melon, citrus, floral and mineral nuances, and a hint of almond. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has good intensity and crisp acidity.
Grouper was elusive to me for years. This past year, we ended up trolling one, and it was magical on the plate. Black, Gag, Red, Snowy, Misty and Scamp are all super tasty. Grouper has a relatively mild flavor with a hint of sweetness that can vary among the different species of grouper. Because of its texture, I love to roast it with fresh tomatoes, garlic, lemon and herbs and drink Le Masse Chianti Classico 2018. This is deep ruby red, lighter in body than the average Chianti or Sangiovese, with ripe red fruit, plum, cherry, violet, low tannins and plenty of acid to cut the rich texture of the fish.
Kingfish (King mackerel) with its oily flesh is a stronger tasting fish than many. Abundant in the winter, it’s a bit of acquired taste. In fillets, steaks or in the round, the raw flesh is grayish because of its high fat content. I’m a big fan of the smoked version. If it’s just the fillet or mixed as a spreadable appetizer, the rich smoked flavors go well with Angelo Negro Langhe Nebbiolo 2020. This lovely, bright and fresh style of Nebbiolo is made to drink young. It offers up notes of bing cherry, truffle, earth, spice and a touch of tar. The texture is light, but there’s a slight tannic grip and medium acidity.
Putting meat on the deck – see you on the water!
