Fresh Pacific Northwest salmon is one of those foods I can\u2019t get enough of.<\/p>\n
I was fortunate to grow up on northern Whidbey Island, where my dad was an avid recreational salmon fisherman who frequented its surrounding waters with great success.<\/p>\n
I can recall many a Sunday, when an early afternoon dinner was centered around his barrel-cooked, alder wood smoked salmon\u2026sometimes caught just the day before.<\/p>\n
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The salmon was prepared simply: butter, salt, pepper and perhaps a squeeze of lemon topped the fish, which was juicy, flaky and tender, never overcooked, and perfect when served with a baked potato, green salad, and a slice of my mom\u2019s garlic bread.<\/p>\n
There are many other ways to prepare salmon, of course. But the focus of today\u2019s column is to suggest a few wines that pair with this fish when it\u2019s cooked with only a minimal amount of added ingredients; just the way my dad still prepares it today.<\/p>\n
The key to a good wine pairing always starts with the food. Because salmon often has a rich, marbled, high-fat content, I usually select wines with a high acid content to serve with this prized Pacific Northwest seafood.<\/p>\n
The combination works because the wine\u2019s acidity cuts through and contrasts with the fattiness of the fish, allowing you to taste both the food and the wine. And this food\/wine rule-of-thumb not only applies to salmon, it holds true for most other foods that are high in fat as well.<\/p>\n
Whether you choose a wine that is red or white shouldn\u2019t matter; it\u2019s the acid level that should be your gauge. Select a wine that fits this profile \u2013 Champagne and sparkling wines, riesling, pinot gris, grenache, and pinot noir are excellent examples \u2013 and you\u2019ll be rewarded with a virtually foolproof choice that should enhance your dining experience.<\/p>\n
Here are a few northwest wine recommendations that work especially well with a simply prepared salmon entr\u00e9e:<\/p>\n
Gilbert Cellars 2013 Estate Riesling <\/strong>(about $20) \u2013 This big, viscous riesling is quite appley to start with undertones of crisp citrus and a touch of spicy lychee. The wine\u2019s .75-percent residual sugar content gives the finish a faintly perceptible whisper of sweetness.<\/p>\n Maryhill Winery 2012 Proprietor\u2019s Reserve Grenache<\/strong> (about $30) \u2013 There\u2019s an Old World character to this wine with its reserved cherry, red plum, and spiced crabapple flavors. The finish suggests toasted oak, crushed herbs, and a lingering hint of earthiness.<\/p>\n Swiftwater Cellars 2010 Pinot Noir <\/strong>(about $55) \u2013 Sourced from Willamette Valley grapes, this elegant, salmon-friendly wine opens with gentle, smoky cedar and caramel aromatics. Bright, red raspberry flavors melt into a soft finish with accents of anise and dried black cherry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fresh Pacific Northwest salmon is one of those foods I can\u2019t get enough of. I was fortunate to grow up on northern Whidbey Island, where my dad was an avid recreational salmon fisherman who frequented its surrounding waters with great success. I can recall many a Sunday, when an early afternoon dinner was centered around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-washington-wines","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2021"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2023,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions\/2023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}