Fish and chips wine pairings: a defense of bubbles

There's a reason the great British seaside pairing is a pint of bitter — it's cheap, cold, and on tap. But on the rare occasion you order [fish and chips](/pair.php?food=fish and chips) at a restaurant that actually has a wine list, here's what to do.

Why bubbles

Two reasons. First: the batter. Anything deep-fried wants acid and carbonation to cut through the fat, and Champagne does both better than any still wine on earth. Second: salt. Fish and chips is heavily salted, and bubbles handle salt the way they handle cheese — by lifting it, not competing with it.

If you've never tried it, order a glass of Brut Champagne with cod and chips. It's a small revelation. Mushy peas and tartare sauce somehow work too. The whole plate becomes elegant for fifteen minutes.

The cheaper options

• English sparkling — Nyetimber or Hambledon. Same chalky soil as Champagne, half the price.

- Cava Brut — the Spanish answer. Reliably under £20. - Crémant de Loire — the French answer, made with Chenin Blanc. Often better value than basic Champagne.

Still wines that work

A bone-dry Albariño from Galicia handles salty seafood with the same lemony freshness it brings to Spanish tapas. A Loire Sauvignon Blanc — Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé — works too.

What not to drink

Don't pour a big oaked Chardonnay with chip-shop cod. The wine will taste flabby against the salt and grease. Don't bother with red, full stop — the tannin will fight the fish oils.

The honest verdict

Most of the time, you'll be in a pub and you'll have a pint. That's fine. But once a year, take the fish and chips home, open a bottle of English sparkling, and remember why this country invented the dish.