What wine goes with shrimp?
Albarino
Grappi pairing score: how well the match works, on a 100-point scale. Grappi's own assessment.
The best wines for shrimp
Albarino
White (unoaked)
From Galicia's Rias Baixas, its high acid, citrus and saline snap are built for sweet shellfish like shrimp.
Sauvignon Blanc
White (unoaked)
Zesty acidity and fresh, herbal notes slice through garlic butter and keep each bite clean.
Champagne / Cava
Sparkling
Fine bubbles and sharp acidity reset the palate, which makes sparkling the best match for fried or tempura shrimp.
Why it works
Shrimp has sweet, delicate, low-fat meat, so the wine's only job is to stay bright and keep out of the way. High acidity is everything, because a crisp, unoaked white lifts the shellfish and rinses off any butter or oil, while oak, high alcohol and tannin only bury the sweetness. How you cook it then shifts the glass, from a bone-dry white for plain or grilled shrimp, to a fuller Albarino for garlic butter, to an off-dry Riesling for a chili kick.
Grappi scores every pairing out of 100 against a reference of 185,000 wines. Shrimp with Albarino rates 93.
Serving tips
- For garlic butter shrimp or shrimp scampi, step up to a fuller white like a lightly oaked Chardonnay or a richer Albarino.
- With chili, Cajun or sweet-chili shrimp, pour an off-dry Riesling: a little sweetness cools the heat and balances the spice.
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