Everything is better with wine—including seafood. But finding the right pairing for your favorite seafood dish can be tricky. The wine experts at Theorem Vineyards have put together this guide to equip you with the best seafood and wine pairings. After reading, you'll know exactly what to pour with your next seafood dinner.
Crab & Riesling
Crab has a sweet, savory flavor that tastes even better alongside a good Riesling. The sweet, fruity character of a Riesling plays beautifully off the richness of crab. We recommend pairing your crab dish with Stony Hill Vineyard's White Riesling.
This is a wine full of contrasts and complementary flavors, with notes of chamomile, wet stone, delicate florals, and a savory character throughout. The palate mirrors the nose, opening with slightly sweet floral and fruit notes before finishing with an almost endless savory finish. A hint of residual sugar, reminiscent of Meyer lemon curd, meets the clean, crisp acidity Stony Hill is known for — letting you taste even more vibrant layers of flavor in your crab.
Lobster & Chardonnay
Fresh lobster is a delicacy, and it deserves a wine that's equally refined. We recommend a well-balanced Chardonnay, like our own Moon Mountain Chardonnay, bright with notes of freshly squeezed lemon, tart pineapple, lime blossom, honeysuckle, and crushed rocks.
On the palate, those bright citrus notes meld into a creamy texture reminiscent of lemon meringue, with a similar light, airy lift. Just as the flavors settle over your palate, a beam of vibrant acidity cuts through the creaminess, leaving a finish that's refreshingly bright and lingering.
Salmon & Pinot Noir
Salmon is a rich, oily, flaky fish that can be prepared a dozen different ways. However you cook it, you can rarely go wrong pairing it with a Pinot Noir — full-flavored enough to stand up to the richness of salmon, but light enough to stay in step with seafood. We recommend pairing your salmon dish with Fantesca's King Richard's Reserve™ Pinot Noir. This wine shows dark garnet hues and dark fruit character, with bold cherry and blackberry scents accented by purple lilac. On the palate, blackberry fruit meets warm, inviting hints of cigar box, growing even more expressive on a finish where fresh fruit notes fan out.
Oyster & Chardonnay
Oysters tend to be buttery, briny, and smooth, with a fuller texture. A good Chardonnay is an excellent match, helping to soften some of that brine. We recommend Schramsberg's Blanc de Blancs, a wine with bright aromas of ripe green apple, Bosc pear, sweet spice, and buttered brioche, layered with fresh ginger, stone fruit, and coriander. Honeycrisp apple, grilled lemon, and orange peel bring fruit-forward notes to the mid-palate, closing with a clean, crisp acidity punctuated by caramelized and tropical flavors.
Shrimp & Sauvignon Blanc
Shrimp is dry, lean, and crisp, so it calls for a wine that can cut through its natural fat. We recommend pairing shrimp with our own ultra-premium Sauvignon Blanc, which strikes a perfect balance of fresh acidity and rich fruit. Strikingly aromatic, it leaps from the glass with citrus, stone fruit, flowers, herbs, and minerals — fleshy peach and ripe melon explode on the palate, while lime zest and crushed rock tangle with jasmine for verve and complexity along a long, crisp finish.
Tuna & Rosé
Tuna's slightly sweet, meaty profile pairs wonderfully with rosé, which brings both depth and the acidity that complements the light citrus flavors often served alongside tuna. We recommend Corison Winery's Corazón Cabernet Rosé, a jewel-toned, pale salmon wine with aromas of dried rose petals that jump from the glass. Bright and vibrant, it offers complex flavors of Bing cherry, red currant, and plum.
Visit Theorem Vineyards!
Explore pairing wine with your favorite dishes at Theorem Vineyards. We offer a beautiful tour of our vineyard alongside an unparalleled tasting experience. Our estate sits on the northern slope of Diamond Mountain in Calistoga, roughly 1,000 feet above sea level, with breathtaking views that make our tours and tastings one of a kind. We love sharing where our wines come from and what makes them unique — but if you can't visit us just yet, you can still enjoy a piece of our vineyard by ordering one of our wines.
Contact our team at Theorem Vineyards today to schedule a tour: (707) 942-4254!
