The Red Wine 'Rule' You Should Stop Believing

Drinking wine is meant to be an enjoyable experience, whether you're sipping while catching up with friends, relaxing after a long day, or pairing a glass with dinner for a romantic evening. The last thing you want to worry about is remembering a long list of rules, like not serving red wine chilled or using different glasses for different wines. Another example is that red wine is supposed to go with red meats while white wine goes with fish. That means if you've ever paired red wine with your salmon, you're breaking one of the most famous rules. And guess what? That's perfectly fine. Some rules are meant to be broken, and this is one of them.

This pairing guideline is less about the wine's color and more about its characteristics. The main goal is finding balance in a wine that won't overpower the fish. Think of it like this: Fish is often lighter, flakier, and more delicate than meat, so it pairs well with wine that's equally mild — something that's light- to medium bodied, bright and acidic, and low in tannins. These are typically components of white wine, but there are several reds that make a great companion to fish. So, if you've ever hesitated to pair red wine with baked mahi-mahi (even though you really wanted to), this one's for you.

Fish ranges from lean to dense and wine ranges from light- to full-bodied, so when you're weighing your options, just remember balance. Delicate white fish such as halibut, snapper, and bass go best with light, low-tannin reds like Valpolicella Classico or Gamay. Meatier fish like tuna, swordfish, and mahi-mahi can hold their own against medium-bodied reds such as Grenache and Frappato. And when it comes to the best wines to pair with an oily fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines, pinot noir or Barbera are great choices to bring out the food's richness. However, not every red wine should be paired with fish — the last thing you want is the metallic taste that can occur when tannins interact with the seafood's oils. Your cabernet sauvignon and malbec, for example, are worth saving for your T-bone steak with chimichurri rojo.

At the end of the day, don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients and recipes or trying reds with different types of fish. A wine won't taste exactly the same to everyone, so what someone else dislikes might end up being your new favorite combination. And these 15 cod recipes are just dying to be paired with pinot noir and Beaujolais.