Plaice

Plaice

Assuming plaice grilled or pan fried on the bone with butter and lemon, or fried in breadcrumbs.

Plaice is soft, sweet and very delicate, so the wine must be light and crisp, with enough acidity for butter or a crumb coating and nothing that covers the fish. Oak and tannin turn metallic against it, and full, aromatic whites smother it.

Pairs Perfectly. Muscadet sur lie, Loire, France. Lemon, green apple and a salty, yeasty edge from resting on its lees, light and sharp enough for butter and lemon. It costs little.

Pairs Well. Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc, France. Crisp and lemony with a saline finish, very good with simple white fish.

Pairs Well. Verdejo, Rueda, Spain. Citrus, fennel and a faint bitter almond finish on fresh acidity, clean against fried or grilled fish.

Worth Seeking Out

Treixadura from Ribeiro, Galicia, Spain. Delicate and floral with apple and citrus, a quiet Atlantic white for delicate fish.

Avoid

Oaked whites, full aromatic whites and reds. Oak and tannin turn metallic against fish, and loud aromatics bury it.

Failing That

A Pinot Blanc, Alsace, dry.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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