8 Wine and Fish Pairings that Will Go Down Swimmingly

This week, we’ve revealed this easiest way to score and season fish, the top 6 fish cooking tips from chefs and the 10 best quick sauces for fish. Now, it’s time for the finishing touch: the wine. Here, eight great fish and wine pairings.

1. Sardines with Albariño
Rich, quick-cooking and oily (in a good way) sardines need a zesty white wine like a Spanish Albariño to cut through the strong flavors. Try the 2012 Granbazán Etiqueta Verde or 2013 Lícia with this recipe for grilled sardines.

2. Hake with Rosé
Hake is a member of the same fish family as cod and haddock, and like them, it’s white, flaky, lean and mild. Pair a fruit-forward rosé like the 2012 Edetària Vinya d'Irto Rosat with this fast, summery recipe for olive oil-poached hake.

3. Sea Bass with Vermentino
Fairly mild and delicate, sea bass is great with an herb-scented, coastal Italian white like Vermentino. Try the 2013 Aia Vecchia with this easy Tuscan recipe for roast sea bass with chickpea puree and parsley sauce.

4. Salmon with Chardonnay
Buttery salmon deserves an equally buttery, full-bodied Chardonnay. Try one from Sonoma like the 2012 La Crema with this recipe for mustard-and-garlic-glazed salmon.

5. Trout with Sauvignon Blanc
Often cooked with a citrusy sauce, trout is delicious with a citrusy wine like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Try the 2013 Babich Marlborough or 2013 Cloudy Bay with this recipe for trout with preserved lemon vinaigrette.

6. Red Snapper with Rosé
Sweet and super-versatile, red snapper soaks up the flavors in which it’s cooked. Try pairing this Asian-inflected recipe for whole red snapper with roasted tomato sauce with a berry-scented rosé like the 2013 Bieler Pere et Fils Sabine.

7. Cod with Chardonnay
Firm, meaty cod is perfect for frying. Try this recipe for crispy cod tempura with a passion fruit-inflected Chardonnay from South Africa like the 2012 Tokara or 2012 Rustenberg.

8. Arctic Char with Sauvignon Blanc
Rich arctic char can handle pungent, herbaceous, garlicky sauces. Try this recipe for arctic char with charmoula (a classic North African sauce packed with herbs and spices) with a citrusy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc like the 2013 Dog Point.