Ocean meets Wine
Seafood and fish, paired with delicious wines, sounds like beaches, lively promenades and a wide horizon. Whether prepared Nordic, Asian or Mediterranean: The delights of the oceans harmonize perfectly with German wines if you take a few tips to heart.
Facts
-
70 %
der Erdoberfläche machen die Meere aus
-
11.034 m
tief ist der Marianengraben
-
9.000 Arten
verschiedener Lebewesen leben im Mittelmeer
The great variety of seafood invites you to be creative in the kitchen. And the great variety of German white and rosé wines makes it easy to find just the right wine to go with your crustaceans, mussels and seafood delights. As a rule, rosé or white wines are better companions for shellfish and crustaceans than red wines. This is because the protein of the seafood reacts with the tannins contained in the red wine – and that often leads to a dull, metallic taste.
The classic appetizer is a shrimp or prawn cocktail with a lush cocktail sauce. Since the crabmeat is subtly sweet, the appetizer may even be served with canned fruit such as peach or pineapple pieces. A strong, pleasantly dry single-site Riesling, to be found in many German wine-growing regions, is a harmonious companion for the shrimp cocktail. And if you serve the prawn cocktail along with the aperitif, you will be delighted to find how well it is suited to Winzersekt Brut with Riesling or Pinot Blanc as a base wine.
In the Mediterranean cuisine, crustaceans are often sautéed in a pan with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and herbs, and they are often served alongside pasta. The fine vegetable aromas are nicely accentuated by a chewy Silvaner or a complex Sauvignon Blanc.
Fans of Asian food may use crustaceans in a Thai curry, prepared with ample amounts of ginger, chili and fresh, crisp vegetables. Lovely with Riesling, Muscatel and Scheurebe with subtle residual sugar. If you prefer dry wines, try your Thai curry with a creamy Pinot Blanc.
Mussels or cockles boast tender meat and a subtle taste. As a rule, they are steamed and served with a sauce that is not too dominant and uses root vegetables, white wine, pepper, cream or tomato puree as ingredients. These mussels also taste great in Mediterranean pasta dishes. Ideally, they are accompanied by not too full-bodied and dry white wines such as Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc or Silvaner. A Portugieser rosé is another great choice.
A dry Winzersekt is not the only suitable companion for oysters, which are enjoyed raw, very well chilled and with just a few splashes of lemon juice. Their pure taste also goes very well with a light white wine with subtle aromas, such as Chasselas from the Markgräflerland region, an Auxerrois from the upper reaches of the Moselle or a Pinot Blanc from Franconia. The adventurous among you might want to try and combine oysters with noble sweet wines, as the Russian tsars used to do. A Riesling Auslese or Beerenauslese from the Moselle or the Middle Rhine region that has aged for a long time is an excellent choice. The saltiness of the oyster will interplay with the slate minerality and the mature fruitiness of these wines.
Seafood such as squid or octopus is often fried and served with a dip of aioli. They go very well with a crisp, fresh and dry Pinot Noir rosé or a dry Pinot Gris. If the shellfish is thinly sliced and served as a carpaccio, marinated in lime juice and olive oil, a dry Silvaner or Sauvignon Blanc might prove to be the best companion.
During the barbecue season, lobster or crayfish can be cut in half lengthwise and roasted on the shell, merely seasoned with butter, salt and pepper. The hearty roast aromas of the barbecue render the taste of the crustaceans even more intense. Consequently, they can take full-bodied wines with wooden cask aromas – such as barrique Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc from the Pfalz region or Baden.
Shellfish such as scampi and prawns are roasted in a grill tray inside their shell, so they don’t lose too much of their juice. All seafood should never be cooked for too long or over too much heat. This kind of seafood likes a fresh Pinot Blanc.
Fish such as trout, char and gilthead are often softer and juicier when grilled wrapped in tin foil rather than directly on the grate. Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Silvaner are perfect partners. A light Riesling from the Moselle with subtle fruitiness is welcome as well.
If the fish is prepared directly on the grate or in a grill tray, maybe even marinated or strongly seasoned, it requires a partner such as a stronger Riesling or Chardonnay. A lightly chilled dry red wine can also be an adequate companion for heartily seasoned fish.
Whole fish with herbs can take a juicy Silvaner, which also boats herbal aromas – or even a red wine that is not too full-bodied.
Where is the northernmost vineyard in Germany?
Besides the North Sea, Sylt has other attractions in store for its visitors. It is also home to Germany's northernmost vineyard. On 3,000 square meters, interested people have taken over the sponsorship of 555 vines, from which the "Söl'viin" has been produced since 2014.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
Tips from Japanese cuisine JAPAN : Soy braised pork
German wines have a natural advantage when it comes to entering into perfect harmony with selected Asian dishes. With a lighter alcohol content, sometimes crisp acidity, moderate residual sweetness or soft tannins in the case of red grape varieties, they are a perfect match for a wide range of styles of Asian cuisine.
- 1 kg Pork belly
- 120 ml German white wine
- 80 ml Soy sauce
- 80 ml Honey
- 50 ml Water
- 4 cm Leek (green part)
- 3 Ginger (thin slices)
- 4 Boiled eggs
- 1 Vegetables such as Chinese cabbage
PREPARATION
1. Cut the pork belly into large pieces to fit your pan.
Put the frying pan on high heat. When it gets hot, add pork belly, browning all sides, and then put in a saucepan. Add enough water to completely cover the meat.
Add ginger and leek and put on high heat.
2. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down low and boil for around 1.5 hours until the meat is soft (test with a fork). If it is drying out, add more water and let the dish boil slowly.
3. Let the soup cool down, then remove the meat and cut into blocks of about 4-5 cm square. (If you cool it down well at this stage, the meat will not become dry.)
4. Put meat and all the other seasoning except soy sauce, into a new pan (which fits the meat neatly) and heat. When it boils, turn the heat to low and cook for around 5 mins, then add soy sauce.
5. Place a plate, which fits snugly into the pan, directly on the meat (a drop lid is also acceptable). Boil for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove pork from the pan, put the boiled eggs and green vegetable to season them, and boil the broth to half the volume.
Put the meat back in and mix well with the broth. Put meat on a plate, add boiled egg or boiled green vegetables and pour over broth.
- Lemberger (trocken)
- Dornfelder (trocken)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
- Lemberger (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Dornfelder (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (halbtrocken & feinherb)
Tips from Chinese cuisine CHINA : Steamed scallops with vermicelli
German wines have a natural advantage when it comes to entering into perfect harmony with selected Asian dishes. With a lighter alcohol content, sometimes crisp acidity, moderate residual sweetness or soft tannins in the case of red grape varieties, they are a perfect match for a wide range of styles of Asian cuisine.
- 4 Scallops
- 1 Bündel Mung bean noodles
- 2 Garlic
- 12 Cloves
- 2 EL Oil
- 1,5 EL Chinese rice wine
- 1 EL Light soy sauce
- 1 Fresh chili
- 2 Spring onions
PREPARATION
1. Clean the scallops, take out the scallop meat and marinate in the rice wine. Wash the shells.
2. Mash the garlic, mince the spring onions and the fresh chilli.
3. Heat a pan with oil over high heat, add garlic and fresh chilli, stir for 1-2 minutes, then put it into a bowl, add light soy sauce and mix well to make the garlic paste.
4. Place the vermicelli in a bowl and soak in warm water for 5 minutes until soft.
5. Take the scallop shells, arrange the vermicelli across these, and place a scallop on each.
6. Pour the garlic sauce evenly over the scallops.
7. Steam the scallops for 6 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions.
- Riesling (trocken)
- Grauburgunder / Pinot Gris (trocken)
- Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Grauburgunder / Pinot Gris (halbtrocken & feinherb)
Tips from Asian cuisine CHINA : Dumpling
German wines have a natural advantage when it comes to entering into perfect harmony with select Asian dishes. With a lower alcohol content, sometimes crisp acidity, moderate residual sweetness or soft tannins in red grape varieties, they are a perfect match for a variety of styles of Asian cuisine.
- 500g Flour
- 240ml Warm water
- 400g Minced pork
- 100g Celery
- 1 TL Salt
- 1/2 TL Sugar
- 3 EL Light soy sauce
- 1 EL Oyster sauce
- 2 EL Oil
- 100 ml Water
PREPARATION
MAKE DUMPLING WRAPPERS
Pour flour into a large bowl, add 240ml warm water and stir until well-combined.
Wash and dry hands. Dip in some dry flour and knead the dough until it becomes smooth.
Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.
MAKE DUMPLING STUFFING
Mix minced pork, salt, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, oil and 100ml water, stir well and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Chop the celery and pat dry with kitchen towel.
Take the pork out of the fridge, add chopped celery and stir well.
MAKE DUMPLINGS
Divide the dough into 8g pieces.
Rub the dough with a rolling pin and press into a circle about 7cm in diameter.
Take 15g stuffing and put it in the center of the dumpling wrapper. Fold the wrappers, use fingers to press the edges together.
BOIL DUMPLINGS
Fill in a clean pot with water, and bring to the boil. Pour in an appropriate amount of dumplings according to the size of the pot, and boil them until they rise to the surface.
Take out the dumplings and serve.
- Pinot Blanc (trocken)
- Pinot Blanc (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Silvaner (trocken)
- Silvaner (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (halbtrocken & feinherb)
Tips from Japanese cuisine JAPAN : Sashimi
German wines have a natural advantage when it comes to entering into perfect harmony with selected Asian dishes. With a lighter alcohol content, sometimes crisp acidity, moderate residual sweetness or soft tannins in the case of red grape varieties, they are a perfect match for a wide range of styles of Asian cuisine.
- 200g Tuna Sashimi
- 200g-250g Squid sashimi
- 8 Blätter Green Shiso
- 10g Spice (garnish, white radish sprouts, etc.)
- 10g Soy sauce, wasabi
- 1,5 EL Soy sauce
- 1 EL Red wine
- 1 TL Olive oil
PREPARATION
1. Mix the sauce in a sandwich bag (ziplock). Put the tuna in it, remove any air, seal and leave it in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.
2. Make a thin cut of about 2 mm on one surface of squid. Turn it over and place green shiso on the front. Roll up from the front and cut into pieces for easy eating.
3. Dry the tuna with a paper towel and cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Serve tuna and squid with condiments, soy and wasabi.
- Pinot Blanc (trocken)
- Silvaner (trocken)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
- Pinot Blanc (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Silvaner (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (halbtrocken & feinherb)
