Vermentino, rosé or actually red? The 3 best wines for tuna – why Pinot Noir works with a tuna steak and which wine to pick for raw tuna, sashimi or tartare.
By Robert Kozinski · Co-Founder & SommelierAugust 2, 2026Vermentino (dry)White wine, salty and fresh
Herbal spice and a saline note meet the taste of the sea without crushing the powerful fish.
Rosé from ProvenceRosé wine, dry and delicate
The compromise for grilled tuna: more structure than a white wine, no distracting tannin.
Pinot Noir (light, chilled)Red wine, light and low in tannin
With a quickly seared steak, red wine really does work – provided it is light and cool.
Tuna is the fish that genuinely makes the rule “always white wine with fish” wobble. Its firm, dark flesh tastes closer to a steak than to sole – and that is exactly why three very different wines work here: a dry Vermentino, a rosé from Provence and a light, chilled Pinot Noir. Which one fits depends above all on the preparation.
Tuna contains a lot of dark muscle and therefore considerably more iron than pale fish. Add a high umami content and – depending on the cut – a good amount of fat. Quickly seared, the centre stays raw and tender; cooked through, it turns firm and dry. Those are three completely different starting points for the wine.
The decisive factor is tannin. Tannins and fish protein react with each other and create a metallic, oily aftertaste – the reason powerful red wine with fish is rightly considered a misstep. With tuna this effect is even more pronounced because of the iron content. So a red wine has to be as low in tannin as possible, otherwise the combination tips over.
At the same time tuna is powerful enough to simply run over light white wines. A thin, neutral wine vanishes without a trace next to a grilled tuna steak. What you want instead is acidity plus a bit of substance – the salty, herbal character that Mediterranean whites bring along.
That is why rosé is so often the most elegant solution: it has the fruit and the body of a light red, but practically no tannin. For anything that has picked up roasted flavours on the grill or in the pan, it is the safest choice at the table.
Vermentino grows in Sardinia, in Tuscany, on Corsica and in southern France – everywhere tuna traditionally lands on the table. It tastes of citrus, white peach and Mediterranean herbs, and often has a slightly saline, bitter note on the finish that suits the taste of the sea. Price range: 10 to 18 euros. Buying tip: Sardinian Vermentino di Gallura is usually a touch fuller and therefore also handles grilled tuna, while lighter versions from Tuscany harmonise better with raw fish.
A dry rosé from Provence, usually based on Grenache and Cinsault, is pale, dry and anything but sweet. It brings enough substance for roasted flavours while completely avoiding distracting tannin. That makes it the most versatile wine for a tuna evening – from steak to tataki to salad. Price range: 10 to 18 euros. Buying tip: look for a current vintage. Provence rosé lives on freshness and noticeably loses tension after two years.
A light Pinot Noir is proof that red wine and fish are not mutually exclusive. With a quickly seared tuna steak that is still pink inside, its red fruit mirrors the meaty texture, while the fine tannin does not collide with the iron. Selection is everything: no heavy, oak-driven versions. Price range: 14 to 25 euros. Buying tip: Baden, the Pfalz or a simple Bourgogne Rouge deliver the right lightness. Twenty minutes in the fridge before it goes into the glass.
| Variation | Wine | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled tuna steak, pink | Pinot Noir, chilled | Roasted flavours and meaty texture can handle a light red |
| Tataki, seared outside | Rosé from Provence | The compromise between a raw centre and a seared crust |
| Sashimi or tartare, raw | Vermentino | Salty freshness for tender, raw fish |
| Tuna with soy sauce and ginger | Vermentino or dry Riesling | Acidity holds its own against salt and heat |
| Vitello tonnato sauce | Vermentino | Creamy and salty, it needs acidity rather than structure |
| Salade niçoise with tuna | Rosé from Provence | Regional logic, and it copes with the dressing |
| Well-done steak, boldly seasoned | Rosé or Pinot Noir | Firm fish takes more body in the glass |
With raw tuna in a sushi context slightly different rules apply – you can read more about that under sushi.
Tannin-rich red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or Barolo are the classic wrong choice with tuna. The tannins meet the iron in the dark fish flesh, and together the two create an unpleasantly metallic, almost tinny aftertaste.
Heavily oak-aged white wines with vanilla, butter and toasty notes lay themselves over the fish like a blanket. Tuna has its own clear flavour, which ends up covered rather than accompanied.
Very light, neutral white wines with no acidity and no character – any mass-market Pinot Grigio, say – disappear completely, especially next to grilled tuna. Afterwards you taste neither the wine nor the herbal spice.
Tuna is therefore one of the few fish where the wine choice follows the preparation and not the ingredient. Vermentino for everything raw and delicate, Provence rosé as the safe all-rounder, a chilled Pinot Noir for the steak off the grill. Only with heavy, tannic red wine should you stay firm – that really does not belong here.
Yes, and this is the great exception among fish. Tuna has firm, dark, almost steak-like flesh with plenty of iron and umami – unlike sole or cod, for instance. A quickly seared tuna steak takes a light, low-tannin red such as Pinot Noir or Gamay, chilled to around 14 degrees. All that matters is: little tannin and no oak.
Raw tuna is far more delicate than seared tuna. Here a dry white wine with salinity and moderate acidity fits best – Vermentino, Albariño or a Grüner Veltliner. Dry Champagne or a Crémant work beautifully too. Red wine, on the other hand, is almost always too much for raw fish.
Here everything around the fish decides the wine rather than the fish itself. A salade niçoise or a pasta salad with tuna calls for a dry rosé or a light white such as Vermentino or Pinot Grigio. Watch the dressing: the more vinegar is involved, the more acidity the wine needs.
Because in texture and flavour it sits closer to meat than to fish. The dark muscle brings iron and a slightly metallic note that reacts badly to tannin – a tannic red tastes tinny alongside it. At the same time tuna is too powerful for very light, neutral white wines, which simply disappear next to it.
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