James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [6]
What if the fish has been cooked in red wine or the sauce contains red wine? Should the cook set aside a jug of red “cooking wine,” distinct and separate from the wine that is to be served with the fish?
The existence of “cooking wine” is a culinary myth. Wine is used in cooking as a flavoring agent; the better the wine, the better the flavor. And so some authorities say that it makes good sense to serve the same wine that was used in cooking the fish. I think it might be more accurate to say that the predominating flavors of a dish, and the intensities of these flavors, should determine what sort of wine is served. If the sauce for a fish is pungently accented with herbs, spices, and garlic, then red wine or rosé may be preferable to white. For example, the famous California dish cioppino is customarily served with red or rosé wine. A number of highly seasoned baked fish dishes — red snapper, redfish, sea trout — are sometimes served with a light red.
There are also some other exceptions to the traditional affinity between fish and dry white wine. Some salmon dishes, for example, are perfect with rosé and also go well with a light red wine. The same is true of some of the heavier fish stews. Many people enjoy rosé or light red wine with swordfish, since its texture is heavier than that of most fish and its flavor rather “meaty.”
Champagne is happily married to all fish dishes — hors d’oeuvre, stews, entrées. Besides champagne, pleasant accompaniments for hors d’oeuvre based on fish and shellfish are dry sherry, rosé, and dry white wine. All should be chilled.
FRENCH WINES
There are no greater wines than the great French wines, and there is no greater complement to a fine fish dish than one of the superb white wines of the Côte de Beaune. The great French wines are readily available in good wine shops in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and other large American cities, but they are often hard to find in smaller cities.
Where French wines are available, fish lovers have this advantage: Generally speaking, the finest of France’s dry white wines and rosés are less costly than the very great reds. Superb white wines, the greatest in the world, may be had for less than $15–$18, and many excellent white wines of less distinction may be obtained for around $4–$6.
Champagne. Complementary to all fish, but never cheap. Among the famous names are Pommery and Greno, Dom Perignon, Louis Roederer, Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Pol Roger, Taittinger. The dryest champagne is labeled brut and English Market. Despite the implication, extra dry is not the dryest.
White Bordeaux. The white wines of Graves, once popular in England and the United States, are no longer so eagerly sought by wine lovers. A notable exception, almost a curiosity, is the very dry Château Haut-Brion Blanc, regrettably scarce and expensive. A good dryish Graves is Château Olivier. In general, sauternes and Barsac are too sweet for fish dishes.
White Burgundy. Perfect with fish. The communes that are world-famous for dry whites include Vougeot, Aloxe-Corton, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligay-Montrachet. In a special class of its own is Chablis, greenish golden and dry as flint. It is superb with oysters. Not sufficiently appreciated by Americans is Pouilly-Fuissé, excellent with all fish and quite reasonable.
Rhone. The Hermitage white wines are excellent with fish. One of the most charming white wines in the world is Clos de Chante-Alouette. Try it with a delicate sole dish.
Loire. For a pleasant experience with fish, try Pouilly-Fumé, which is fresh and fruity, with a taste of the soil. Also pleasant, and very reasonable, is Muscadet.
Alsace. For wonderful summer drinking, especially with cold fish try Gewurztraminer, Traminer, Riesling.
Rosé wines. The Travel rosé wines are delicious when chilled. To a somewhat lesser extent than champagne, they are congenial with nearly all fish dishes.
GERMAN WINES
The Rhine and Moselle districts of Germany produce some of the world’s most