02/28/05 Monday question - Halibut

Welcome to Vine to Wine, I am your host Linda Moran, and on today's program we are answering questions from our email bag. A listener writes to ask "the Halibut season is upon us and my wife and I are hoping you can recommend the best kinds of wine to serve with Halibut?" So today we will look at some of your wine options when you are serving fresh Halibut. There are so many great ways to prepare Halibut and so many great wines to serve with it. Since the Halibut is so fresh and tasty by itself; a simple preparation is always a winner. Lightly coat the fish in extra virgin olive oil. On the flesh side sprinkle kosher salt and white pepper. On a fairly warm grill begin cooking with the skin side down and cook it most of the way. For the last few minutes turn it to the flesh side and sear the top leaving a few nice grill marks on it. The worst thing you can do is overcook it. No wine will make up for a dried out tough piece of fish. I'm almost always in the mood for white wine with Halibut so an Oregon Pinot Gris fits the bill very well for simply prepared fish. But if the dish is sauced with mushrooms or sundried tomatoes a not too oaky Chardonnay, or a softer lighter red, maybe Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Halibut is wonderful with a fresh fruit chutney or salsa. Serve that with a drier style of Riesling or Gewürztraminer. The most important thing to remember is not to select a wine that will over power the Halibut, look for a wine with good acid; reds with lower tannins and whites that are not too heavily oaked. Most of all enjoy the catch. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.