Pairing Wine With Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos are a favorite, originating from Baja California, Mexico along the Pacific coastline where you can find tiny stalls and street vendors selling their fish tacos for cheap! Now it is on most dinner tables throughout the week. A lean, flakey white fish is traditionally used because they are mild in flavor, cook quickly and are relatively inexpensive; these fish are snapper, cod, grouper bass and catfish; either served grilled or lightly battered and deep fried. Served in a soft tortilla with sour cream, shredded cabbage, salsa and a spritz of lime!

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Fish Tacos

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry – Off Dry
Acidity	High
Tannins	Low
Body	Low
Notes	Lemon, Lime, Citrus

Best White Wines To Pair With Fish Tacos

A good white choice is a crispy, citrusy knockout with high acidity that pairs wonderfully well with TexMex food, especially Fish Taco!

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful pairing with Fish tacos! This wine throws out primary fruit flavors such as lime, green apple, passion fruit and white peach, also it has no oak influence either so the purity of the fruit is highly expressive and aromatic. Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent wine for Fish Tacos, this is because of the herbaceousness of the wind which matches the lime, jalapeno and cilantro notes; also the high acidity and crispness which act as an almost lemon wedge with seafood.

Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is a super high acid, low alcohol, hint of fizz wine which makes it a perfect pairing wine for lighter dishes with chili heat behind it! There is not much complexity to these wines and has looser bubbles than Champagne or Cava with fresh green and citrus notes. These light, spritzy whites from Portugal have salty minerality and super bright acidity which acts like a spritz of lime; everything about this wine pairs perfectly with Fish Tacos! Yummy!

Albarino

Albarino is one of the grapes that is featured in Vinho Verde but as a single variety it throws flavors of lemon zest, grapefruit, honeydew, nectarine and a bit of salt, ending with a tingly finish that often has a subtle bitter note. This wine is known for cleansing the palate and contains flinty minerality and pairs perfectly with high acid foods like fish taco without overwhelming the flavors of the fish itself.

Gruner Veltliner

Gruner Veltliner is Austria’s most famous grape variety. It gives a light bodied dry white wine with a pale color and refreshing high acidity characterized by slightly spicy flavors of white pepper and strong citrus and vegetal aromas. Therefore pairing with a Fish Taco is a dream, as the dish is flavourful yet delicate which means it pairs best with a fresh white with good acidity with a hint of sweetness!

Best Red Wines to Pair with Fish Tacos

A perfect red choice for Fish Tacos are red wines with high acidity and low tannin levels for a very nice pairing!

Beaujolais

Beaujolais pairs super well with Fish Taco as the light and fruitiness of this wine with the backing of high acidity keeps your mouth refreshed between bites and doesn’t overpower the fish flavors! Beaujolais is lighter in flavor but holds cherry, raspberry and strawberry flavors which complements nicely to the Fish Taco!

Best Wines to Pair with Fish Tacos

Best pairings for Fish Tacos are wines with zest, hint of saline and low alcohol! Think Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino if the fish is grilled! If it is battered then go to a sparkling like Cava for instance; this will pair beautifully with the subtle white fish flavors and cut through the fattiness of the fried batter.

Either of these sparkling or still wines options (depending on how the fish is prepared) will complement the lime and sour notes of the salsa! Delicious! It is important to avoid anything too tannic or oaky, dry or mineral without fruit character, also remember if the dish is spicy avoid high alcohol too as alcohol increases the perception of heat.