Ahead of Seafood Week (October 4-11), Sam Wylie-Harris goes fishing for some top drops worth shelling out for.
With seafood stalls and fishmongers brimming with all manner of fish and shellfish, now's the time to set sail with a glass of white and school ourselves on wines that work wonders with seafood.
Seafood Week kicks off on Ocober 4 - and when it comes to browsing the wine aisle and mastering which styles work best, remember: The brighter the better; the lightest with shells, and richer with scales.
In honour of the occasion, we've used our best bait and reeled in these bottles, perfectly suited to your next fish supper...
1. Waitrose & Partners Arinto 2018 Lisboa, Portugal (£7.99, Waitrose)
Waitrose's new range of own-label wines celebrates the beauty of lesser-known grape varieties to encourage wine lovers to experiment and try something new. While the grape might be unfamiliar, this arinto offers the same instant pleasure as say a sauvignon blanc, and doesn't hold back when it comes to lemony, fruity freshness. There's also a burst of fine acidity to pair with oily fish such as mackerel, or salted cod and chips.
2. Cune Barrel Fermented Blanco 2018, Rioja, Spain (£8.24 from £10.99, until Oct 10, Waitrose)
A lightly-oaked Rioja that's full of pineapple and apple aromas. Discover hints of banana and vanilla and a lovely depth of ripe fruit, plus there's good acidity and a fullness on the finish that works beautifully with meaty white fish. Try roasted monkfish with watercress and garlicky lemon mash.
3. Alma Andina Torrontes 2018, Salta, Argentina (£9.99, Laithwaite's)
A light, bright and breezy wine, this floral-edged torrontes offers fragrant notes of honeysuckle and lemon, crisp citrus and peach flavours, and a delightfully refreshing finish. Argentina's signature white grape is a great match with most shellfish and seafood, and this one's so bright and inviting, it feels as exhilarating as the high-altitude landscape it comes from.
4. Invivo X, SJP Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Marlborough, New Zealand (£12, Sainsbury's, in-store)
Actress, producer, designer - Sarah Jessica Parker is all of these and an oenophile. The Sex And The City Star has teamed up with Invivo, a New Zealand winery, to put her name to a sauvignon blanc. She said: "We had great fun making this wine and we hope very much that you love it as much as we do!"
The wine offers a vibrant mix of green tropical fruit notes with a lively citrus and grapefruit character. Pair it with garlic prawns, seared scallops with rocket pesto or spiced crab cakes.
5. Berry Bros & Rudd Vidiano by Lyrarakis Wines 2018, Crete, Greece (£12.95, Berry Bros & Rudd)
This bottle offers a great way to help you imagine you're sipping a glass in the sunshine, overlooking Crete's scenic Venetian harbour. Made from the local vidiano, it's fabulously fresh with peach and apricot aromatics and offers a gorgeous mix of textured stone fruits and minerally acidity. Pure pleasure, enjoy with seafood pasta or grilled fish.
6. Legado del Fraile Albarino 2018, Galicia, Spain (£12.99, Virgin Wines)
You can't go wrong with the crisp, refreshing style of this Spanish white wine variety from 'green Galicia', where cool breezes from the Atlantic shape the wines and bless the fruit with a subtle salty tang. Vibrant and uplifting, lemon and grapefruit are supported by notes of nectarine, and there's enough vibrancy to put the wind in your sails.
7. Seresin Memento Riesling 2013, Marlborough, New Zealand (£19.50, The New Zealand Cellar)
Something special, if you really want to push the boat out. Organic and biodynamic, savour its lively citrusy florals, pristine fruit with peach, lemon and limey honeyed notes, and beautifully balanced sweetness and acidity. It's got an off-dry style to curb the heat of spicy seafood, so drink it while launching into a platter of fried chilli squid.
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