Wine and smoked salmon: a pairing that can work wonders. The simplest choice is white wine. So the good pairings with smoked salmon are:

  • Sancerre;
  • Pouilly Fumé;
  • A dry white from Burgundy (Mercurey) or the south-west (Graves, Jurançon);
  • Montlouis;
  • Vouvray.

That said, there are many ways to make a pairing. So don’t get hung up only on these recommendations and run your own experiments at your wine tastings. Smoking salmon is hard, but enjoying it is always a delight: so let’s go.

What smoked salmon is like

Smoked salmon has a fairly fatty flesh and shows real finesse. It’s an exceptional dish thanks to its tenderness and it usually thrills our palate. Smoked salmon is often served with blinis (or various breads). It’s also often presented with lemon and herbs. Everything’s in place for a great treat. Let’s now discover what wine to choose with smoked salmon.

What wine to drink with smoked salmon?

Don’t worry about the calories in wine. The main thing is to make the right pairing. With smoked salmon, you have plenty of choice. Whether with white, red or Champagne, you’ll have plenty to enjoy.

Smoked salmon and white wine

The tannins in white wine are absent. That makes white the ideal candidate for a fish pairing. The rule applies to smoked salmon. Smoked salmon is a very particular dish because of its finesse. So to choose a white with smoked salmon, you should pick a white with lovely acidity and a certain freshness. You can lean toward a Pouilly-Fumé or a Sancerre. You can also choose a Pinot Gris from Alsace, whose freshness goes very well with smoked salmon. You can also choose dry whites that are still young. From Alsace, Burgundy or Jurançon, the white’s youth and minerality will be excellent assets for a successful pairing.

Smoked salmon and red wine

Drinking red with fish: you think it’s a strange idea? Not at all. You can drink red with smoked salmon. You just have to choose your wine carefully. To not get it wrong, pick wines with few tannins. You can lean toward grapes like Pinot or Gamay. Lean toward a red from Alsace and you’ll be in for a treat.

You can also build much more original pairings. A Saint Joseph or a Crozes Hermitage, for example. These wines, with more tannins, reveal a real power that can throw your dish off balance. So be careful when making this pairing.

Smoked salmon and Champagne

Smoked salmon is often eaten during the holidays. There’s nothing stopping you from eating it with Champagne. The Champagne bubbles will further highlight the smoked salmon’s finesse and let you keep a sense of freshness.