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Greek Fish - Wine Choice

GREEK FISH

1 small onion, sliced thinly                     2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. oregano                                      ¼ tsp. pepper

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes           1 ½ lbs. white fish fillets

½ cup sliced black olives, drained         ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Place fish in lightly oiled baking pan. Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano and pepper and spoon over fish.  Place in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

Scatter olives over fish, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 servings

WINE CHOICE

What luck!  Just before Karen told me she was serving this dish at a small holiday dinner we were having, I had stopped and bought some wine.

I had no particular reason for buying that wine, other than impulse.  I was in the store, I saw it, I bought it.  Maybe I felt guilty about that.  "Good", I said, "we can have that Rioja I just bought."

Karen looked at me and I launched into talk about how the old saw about "white with fish" was threadbare and worn.  Besides, I said, the Spanish eat a lot of fish, they drank a lot of red wine, and this Greek Fish meal sounded similar to some Spanish dishes.  A good Spanish Rioja, particularly a Crianza like the Montecillo I just happened to have bought, would be just the thing.

Karen looked at me again.  She knew I really had no idea if this Greek Fish was at all similar to Spanish dishes, and was really only saying that because of the olives.  But as I thought about this and talked my way through it, I became convinced I might have a good idea.

I could not really see this dish with the white wines I had around the house.  The more I thought, the more I began to look at this as a pasta dish with fish (Pacific Perch, a whitefish, in this case) substituted for the pasta.  I started thinking of what I would serve with that dish, dominated by the tastes of tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano and pepper.  Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio would not do.

So when the company came, I uncorked that Montecillo Rioja Crianza.  Everyone loved it, including the guest who doesn't like wine, particularly red wine.  We had a little discussion about that, and guessed it was because the wine was lighter and fruitier than the heavier reds people tended to push at her.

Rioja is a region of Spain well-known for red wine primarily made with the Tempranillo grape blended with small amounts of others.  You will generally see three different Riojas in the stores.  Crianza is aged for two years, with at least six months in oak barrels.  Reserva is aged longer, with more time in oak.  Gran Reserva is aged the most, with the longest time in oak.  As you'd expect, the longer it is aged, the more expensive the bottle.

She enjoyed the lighter Crianza very much.  We all liked it with the meal.  There was a little left afterwards, and I finished it off while the table was being cleared and before the desserts arrived.  I preferred it with the meal.

As we finished up, I spent some time thinking about other wines that I might have served.  I think this is a meal for standard table wines: Italian Chiantis (probably not Riservas), Dolcettos, a Sangiovese, maybe a lighter Pinot Noir.  If you want a white, I would try a Sauvignon Blanc because it is my first choice for a food friendly white.

Greek Fish - Wine Choice

 Last modified: August 07, 2007