Fish and Wine?

Do you fall victim to the claim that red wine CANNOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE be mixed with fish?

I DON'T.

However, I thought that it was just something grandmas had passed down to grandmas over the years and was founded in nothing more than conspiracy. (Don't go swimming for 30 minutes after you eat... Your face is going to stick like that...etc) I happen to enjoy red wine and I happen to enjoy fish; why should I not be able to combine my joys?!

Well, according to The Wine Lovers Page I scientifically am WRONG and cannot mix my red wine and fish.

Why you ask? Well, they found that IRON levels determine pairing. ScienceDaily concluded: "The findings indicate that iron is the key factor in the fishy aftertaste of wine-seafood pairings, the researchers say, suggesting that low-iron red wines might be a good match with seafood."

Pinot with your salmon, go ahead! But don't you dare mix that Merlot with your cod tonight! Grandma's watching! Turn's out 'all wines naturally contain some iron from the soil - 30 milligrams per liter is typical, according to Emile Peynaud's Knowing and Making Wine'. But some iron levels don't create that fishy taste that people thought pairing all red wines with fish did.

The study was conducted by pairing Asian dried scallops with a variety of wines. (Design flaw? That's not exactly a forgiving flavor to compete with...). The article suggests redoing the experiment with a variety of seafood and fish ranging from delicate and mild to dark and oil.

So moral of this fishy story?
Jury's still out... while there is scientific speculation that iron levels determine pairing possibilities, it's all based in a maybe not so smart experiment. So drink that heavy red wine with your grouper... but if it's fishy, they warned you!