It has long been conventional wisdom—not without reason—that white wines go best with seafood and vice versa. Generally speaking, both have delicate flavor, and the decision of which white wine goes with anything from filet of sea bass to mussels doesn’t seem to pose much of a problem. A medium-bodied Chablis, a slightly oaky California chardonnay, a smoky fino sherry, spicy Gewürtztraminer or an almost neutral pinot blanc—all are reasonable options. Even very sweet whites like Sauternes or Madeira can be interesting if, say, a lobster has a cream sauce that itself has Sauternes in it, à la nouvelle cuisine cliché of the 1980s.
But should red wines forever be banned from a table laden with seafood? Or are there instances, not as experiments, where they make very good sense to serve?…