Whole grilled fish

Whole grilled fish

Assuming a whole sea bream or bass grilled over charcoal, served with lemon and olive oil.

White fish holds a compound that reacts with oak to produce a metallic, intensified fishy taste, so a barrel aged white ruins this outright. The harder part is what remains: the charred skin gives the plate a savoury weight that a featherweight white simply disappears under. The wine has to be unoaked and saline but also substantial, which narrows the field sharply.

Pairs Perfectly. Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece. Grown on volcanic ash in ferocious wind, it has weight and grip without ever seeing a barrel, which is an unusual combination and exactly what this plate needs. Lemon and sea salt with a stony, faintly smoky edge that meets the char, and acidity that clears the lemon on the plate.

Pairs Well. Grillo, Sicily, Italy. Grapefruit, green herb and salt with enough body to stand up to charred skin. Widely sold and inexpensive for what it is.

Pairs Well. Pošip from Korčula, Croatia. White peach and almond over a saline base from a Dalmatian island where whole fish on coals is most of the cooking.

Worth Seeking Out

Vidiano from Crete, Greece. Reduced to a few dozen vines within living memory and now the island's great white hope. Apricot and almond with a gentle herbal finish and more texture than most Greek whites.

Avoid

Oaked whites, and very light ones. Oak reacts with the fish to leave a metallic taste, and a delicate white is simply lost beneath the charcoal.

Failing That

A dry Riesling from the Rheingau, Germany.

If All Else Fails

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.

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