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Drink Like a Fish...

There are plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes, but with such an extensive choice here on Crete, you can be selective about what to order, as well as what wine you will select as an accompaniment. Luckily, fish and seafood offer endless possibilities for exciting and creative wine matches. There are so many wines that go swimmingly well, whether it's with the delicacy of shellfish, the richness of cuttlefish or lobster or the meatiness of tuna or cod. If you need a generalization as a good all-round wine for fishy flavors, you really want a dry white with crisp, clean fruit and a zing of acidity, as bracing as a morning walk along the beach.

Many wines from vineyards within sight of the sea seem to have a natural affinity with seafood, but it is not essential. Bone dry wines with crisp green fruit, a twist of citrus and steely minerality, offer  a delicious partnership with simply grilled white fish, whereas fried fish like Red Mullet or Sardines work well with a very basic fresh white.

Some wines suit a particular type of fish or seafood. To bring out the richer flavors of lobster or snails for example, you need a more mature, full-bodied wine or perhaps one that has been aged in oak barrels for a while. The intensity of accompanying flavors can also be a guide. Mussels cooked with a highly flavored sauce favors something with a more complex character. And finally, don't overlook the reds.  A light red with soft tannins can suit a fish like salmon as long as it is drunk cool and young.

Wine Recommendations

Miliarakis Malvazia, Peza, Heraklion
This historical Mediterranean grape variety is a full-bodied, rich, golden-yellow wine characterized by an aromatic complexity and distinctive flavor. Serve chilled. Good with crustaceans or grilled fish with lemon.

Boutari  Fantaxometocho, Skalani, Heraklion (Vilana, Chardonnay, Thrapsathiri)
Dominant aroma of dried flower blossoms and vanilla notes. Full-bodied with long, aromatic finish. Good paired with all seafood, snails and Mussel Risotto.

Nostos (Manousakis) Roussane, Chania
Lemon-green colored wine with aromas of ripe fleshy white fruit, dried flowers, butter and vanilla. Dense, full-bodied and complex with a long finish dominated by vanilla, honey and light oak flavors.

Previous articles:

• Embrace the Dark Side...
• It is OK to like Chardonnay...
• Hey Big Blender!
• Winter Warmers...
• The ABC ("Anything But Chardonnay") Wines of Crete...
• GRAPE EXPECTATIONS...
• LA VIE EN ROSÉ- pretty, pink pleasures
• "Que Syrah Syrah...."
• Lively Summer Whites

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