24 pairings
Chardonnay
Grilled sardines with Bonkers: Salinity and oxidative depth handle an oily fish off the grill.
The short answer
Across 106 sardines pairings on 106 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Chardonnay (24), Pinot Noir (21), Arinto (15) and Loureiro (11). For example, Bonkers from Sussex with grilled sardines: Salinity and oxidative depth handle an oily fish off the grill.
By style: white 57, sparkling 21, red 17, rosé 7, fortified 3 of the 106 pairings.
The wines that turn up most: DOCG Franciacorta, DOC Vinho Verde, Vinho Regional Alentejano, DOC Dão, Vinho Verde, PDO Santorini.
The best grapes for sardines
21 pairings
Pinot Noir
Lake Iseo lake sardines with Santus Franciacorta Brut: Saline lake fish and the wine's saline-mineral lift lock together.
15 pairings
Arinto
Grilled sardines with Aveleda Fonte: Light spritz and high acidity refresh the palate against grilled oily fish.
11 pairings
Loureiro
Grilled sardines with Quinta do Tamariz Loureiro: Loureiro's bay leaf and lime cut through oily fish.
9 pairings
Grenache
Grilled sardines with rosemary with Domaine Tempier La Migoua: Smoke and red-fruit lift balance the oily fish; the wine's acidity refreshes between bites.
9 pairings
Antao Vaz
Grilled fresh sardines with Chaminé Branco: Bright acidity and light body suit oily grilled fish.
6 pairings
Cinsault
Grilled sardines with Chateau d'Aqueria Tavel: Classic Provencal combination; mineral dry rose and oily fish.
6 pairings
Trajadura
Grilled sardines with Adega de Monção Muralhas: Racy acidity cuts grilled-sardine oils.
Bottles to pour with sardines
The best-rated pairings, one per producer and no more than two from any one region, so the list travels.
Grilled sardines
Salt-and-citrus lift refreshes oily fish; herbal aromatics echo island garrigue.
Grilled sardines with rosemary
Smoke and red-fruit lift balance the oily fish; the wine's acidity refreshes between bites.
Smoked sardines
Smoky oak spice pairs with smoke-cured oily fish.
Grilled sardines with herbs
Saline lift and wild herbs meet oily fish and grill char.
Grilled sardines with lemon
Oily fish and citrus pick up the wine's pink grapefruit and sea-spray register.
Sardines in saor
Venetian sweet-sour sardines find a foil in the wine's high acidity; almond aromatics echo the dish's pine nuts.
Grilled sardines on bread
The wine's bitterness and vibrant acidity handle oily fish better than a conventional white.
Grilled sardines with fennel
The wine's light body and high acidity pair naturally with oily fish.
Grilled sardines with lemon and herbs
High-acid dry rose cuts through oily fish perfectly.
Lake Iseo lake sardines
Saline lake fish and the wine's saline-mineral lift lock together.
Pasta con sarde (sardines, fennel, raisins)
The wine's bright acidity and light herbs bridge the sweet-savoury Sicilian classic.
Sarde in saor (sweet-sour sardines)
The wine's citrus acidity and mineral cut through the agrodolce brine of this classic Venetian preparation.
Taste the pairing: food and wine in Alentejo
Food and wine tastings you can book in Alentejo, one of the regions whose bottles our editors pour with sardines.
Casa Relvas, Évora - Visit to the Wine Cellar with Tasting of 3 Wines and Snacks
Visit to the Casa Relvas Wine Production Cellar, with tasting of 3 wines and olive oils
Alentejo flavours Own production of cheese, lunch and wines
This experience allows an authentic contact with the flavors of the Alentejo, combining gastronomy, tradition and local producers. The great highlight is the opportuni...
Grande Prova Honrado Vineyards
Cella Vinaria Antiqua is a centuries-old Winery-Museum, restored and converted into a workshop for the production, preservation and dissemination of the ancient techni...
Food and wine tastings in Alentejo (5) · Wine tastings and winery visits in Alentejo (8) · Olive oil tastings and mill visits in Alentejo (4) · Wine tours and day trips in Alentejo (13) · All wine and food experiences
pairings by region
- Alentejo: 21 pairings, Alentejo food and wine pairing
- Franciacorta: 20 pairings, Franciacorta food and wine pairing
- Vinho Verde: 13 pairings, Vinho Verde food and wine pairing
- Dão: 7 pairings, Dão food and wine pairing
- Sicily: 7 pairings, Sicily food and wine pairing
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia: 5 pairings, Friuli-Venezia Giulia food and wine pairing
- Provence: 4 pairings, Provence food and wine pairing
- Bierzo: 3 pairings, Bierzo food and wine pairing
- Languedoc: 3 pairings, Languedoc food and wine pairing
- Santorini: 3 pairings, Santorini food and wine pairing
- Veneto: 3 pairings, Veneto food and wine pairing
- Abruzzo: 2 pairings, Abruzzo food and wine pairing
Wine with sardines, FAQ
What wine goes with sardines?
Across 106 sardines pairings on 106 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Chardonnay (24), Pinot Noir (21), Arinto (15) and Loureiro (11). For example, Bonkers from Sussex with grilled sardines: Salinity and oxidative depth handle an oily fish off the grill.
Red or white wine with sardines?
Most often white: of the 106 sardines pairings, the split by style is white 54%, sparkling 20%, red 16% and rosé 7%. The bottles below show which of each work and why.
Which wine regions are best with sardines?
The regions with the most sardines pairings on our bottle pages are Alentejo, Franciacorta and Vinho Verde.