Red snapper is considered to be one of the most popular white fish in the world. It can be found wild or farmed and it is consumed all around the world. It has lots of texture and it can be cooked in many different ways, contributing to the nutty flavor of the fish.
White fish such as red snapper tend to be paired most with white wine and it does work really well. We recommend exploring through all styles of dry white wines and you can have the snapper with light bodied, medium bodied or even full bodied white wines.
Wine Characteristics To Pair With Red Snapper
Characteristic | Detail |
Sweetness | Dry |
Acidity | Medium to high |
Tannins | None |
Body | Light to full bodied white wines |
Tasting Notes | White Wine Notes – Citrus fruit, green fruit, smoke, butter |
Sweetness – All white fish such as red snapper are paired best with dry, crisp wines.
Acidity – Medium to high acidity level will cleanse and refresh your palate, complementing the freshness of the snapper.
Tannins – You will rarely find a significant level of tannins in white wine, so we won’t be mentioning those today.
Body – A wide variety of wines can work with red snapper and we recommend trying them all from light to full bodied.
Tasting Notes – Citrus fruit flavors tend to complement dishes with more freshness, smoke and butter aromas complement those with a more buttery texture and creamy sauces.
Best White Wine To Drink With Red Snapper
There are many white wines you can drink with white fish and it mostly depends on your preference and the dish itself. Our recommendations will range from light bodied to full bodied wines but they will all have medium to high acidity. The sweetness level will be dry, however we will recommend one off-dry style of wine for a special style of red snapper.
Alvarinho from Portugal
We will start with the lightest bodied wine. Grown mostly in the north of Portugal, this grape variety produces a certain style of wine called Vinho Verde, in the Minho region. The wines are picked a bit earlier and they have a high acidity, light body, citrus flavors and aromas and a light effervescence which makes them super refreshing.
Sauvignon Blanc from France
A Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume make a great pairing for a fresher style of red snapper. These wines are somewhere between a light and a medium bodied white wine with lots of citrus and green fruit aromas, and a characteristic smokiness from the soil.
Arneis from Italy
Commonly found in Piemonte region in the appellation of Roero, this is a medium bodied white wine with more stone fruit aromas and a good citrus flavor base. It will complement the snapper which is cooked with Italian herbs.
Chardonnay from Australia
Chardonnay is grown in a couple of regions in Australia however the most known ones are produced in the region of Margaret river in Western Australia. They tend to be full bodied, full flavored and with a nice aging potential. They will complement dishes with more buttery sauces.
Other Wine Styles To Drink With Red Snapper
The wines you will find underneath are not quite the same as the ones we mentioned above and for this reason we will list them separately. They all have similar characteristics as the wines above and will display similar aromas and flavors.
Traditional method sparkling wine from France
Traditional method sparkling wines are made all over France and there are many appellations which are allowed to produce them. The most known is called Champagne and it is safe to say that they are the most characteristic ones.
The acidity level is high, there are those which are light bodied but you can find fuller bodied ones as well and they tend to be quite refreshing. If you don’t want to break the bank go for any Cremant wine from France or a Spanish Cava.
Riesling from Germany
If you are having a snapper dish with chili or any asian style sauce that is spicy, go for an off-dry Riesling from Germany as the sweetness of the wine will balance the heat from the dish.
The acidity is still high and there are lots of fresh, citrus flavors.
Best Wine To Drink With Red Snapper
White wines tend to be the best pairings for white fish cooked in almost any way. The fresh aromas, citrus flavors and high acidity make just the perfect pairing for red snapper.
- Alvarinho from Portugal
- Chardonnay from Australia
- Sauvignon Blanc from France
- Traditional method sparkling wine from France
- Arneis from Italy
- Riesling from Germany
Pairing Wine With Fish & Chips