WEALTH October 27, 2025 0 Comments

Unlock The Secret Power of This Red Wine While Binge-Watching The Bear—Your Productivity (and Palate) Will Thank You

Ever found yourself binge-watching a show and suddenly, out of nowhere, your curiosity shifts from the plot twists to something utterly unexpected—like wine pairings? That’s exactly what happened to me with The Bear on Disney+. This scrappy Chicago family trying to keep their restaurant afloat isn’t just about kitchen chaos; it surprisingly nudges us to rethink that classic culinary rule: red wine with fish. If your immediate reaction is a wrinkled nose, stick around. I’m all in for the perfect pairing, sure, but sometimes, you just want to sip what suits your mood—rules be darned. And guess what? Chilled reds are not just a summer fling either. Ready to shake up your wine game and discover some deliciously cool reds that work splendidly with seafood? Let’s dive in together and maybe, just maybe, you’ll fall for red wine with fish all over again. LEARN MORE

Have you watched The Bear on Disney+? Like much of the general public, I’m completely obsessed with this show about a scrappy family in Chicago trying to make their restaurant succeed amid grief, menu challenges and personality clashes, writes Jordan Mooney.

I binged season four in two days and cried a lot. But something I was really taken with was the conversations about wine.

The character Sweeps, a former baseball player, is tasked with overseeing the wine pairings for an ever-changing, increasingly more difficult menu.

As he embarks on sommelier training, the show tracks his quest to find a red wine to pair with fish.

Now, some of you reading this might turn your noses up at the idea of red wine with fish.

I’m more of a drink-what-you-like kind of person.

While I love a perfect wine pairing, sometimes I just want a specific glass of wine, regardless of what I’ve been led to think is the right choice.

So, in that vein, this month I’d like to introduce you to some wines I think you can easily enjoy with fish as they work really well chilled.

While wine doesn’t have to be chilled to be sipped alongside seafood, the transition from a cool white might be eased by the temperature for those of you who are still a little disbelieving.

In reality, when we say that red wine should be consumed at room temperature, that actually means around 16-18C — it was deemed so when our houses were decidedly less warm than they are now, considering many homes generally fall in around the 23C mark.

White wine is actually often served too cool in Ireland — this whole thing is a bit of a paradox, I know, but hear me out.

When you remove your bottle from the fridge, it usually measures at about 5C, depending on how long it has resided there, which can tend to dull the flavours and change the texture of wine.

If you leave it to sit and warm a little, you’ll find that 7-10C is actually ideal for most whites, while some can tolerate up to 13C.

So what temperature should a chilled red be at?

Around 10C is ideal, so most will only need a short period in the refrigerator to cool down.

Light, juicy reds bursting with fruit flavours and bright acidity are the ones you want here, usually falling on the younger side with a slightly lower alcohol content.

It’s rare that oaky, heavy reds will work well cooled as they can taste a little muddled and disconnected.

Grapes to look for are pinot noir, nebbiolo and gamay, amongst a few others like cabernet franc, young grenache, pinot meunier, zweigelt and trousseau.

Gamay, in particular, is the grape used in Beaujolais Nouveau.

This is a young wine that’s a vin de primeur, meaning it’s fermented for just a few weeks before being released in the same year it’s been harvested, and it chills excellently.

Keep an eye out for Beaujolais Nouveau Day on the third Friday of November, which is when distributors release their bottles — chilled red isn’t just for summer and it works wonderfully with oysters dressed with something lightly spiced.

So when it comes to pairing fish with red wine, look for lighter varieties. But if you’re in the mood for a deliciously cool red, then explore some of those listed above — I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Here are some of my favourites for you to try this month.

WINES OF THE MONTH

Judith Beck INK, Austria, 12 per cent ABV

A blend of zweigelt and St Laurent grapes, this is an expressive Austrian red which is easy to drink. With bright red fruit flavours and herbaceous notes, it works very well with grilled meat, but try it with something like a Spanish seafood stew for something new.

From €20, available at The Nude Wine Co, Le Caveau, 64 Wine, L’Atitude 51, Bradleys Off-Licence, Fallon & Byrne, Martins Off -Licence, Green Man Wines, Sweeney’s D3 and more.

Puszta Libre Clus Preisinger, Austria, 11.5 per cent ABV

This is another blend of zweigelt and St Laurent, with pinot noir grapes. It’s ruby red with a wonderful mix of spice and red fruits plus lots of freshness. Organic and biodynamic, it will work with just about anything, but I particularly like it with vegetables and cheese — perhaps a niçoise salad or seafood platter.

From €22, available at The Wicklow Wine Co, Pinto Wines, Martins Off-Licence, 64 Wine, Drink Store, Green Man Wines.

SPIRIT OF THE MONTH

Kinsale Wild Red Mead, Cork, 12 per cent ABV

Made in the heart of Kinsale, this off-dry mead is bursting with blackcurrants, cherries and honey. It works well both chilled or warm — mull it for a wintery treat instead of the usual wine or cider this year and you’ll see what I mean. Silky smooth with a long finish and nice acidity, it’s a great Irish product to sip.

From €26.80, available at Celtic Whiskey Shop, O’Briens Wine and Kinsale Mead Co.