This #ThirstyThursday’s Lenten wine adventure comes to you from River Bay Beach in Montego Bay. With my trusty cooler bag in tow stocked with wine, a wine opener, and stemless drinkware (flutes and goblets), I set out in search of a fresh catch and to gain a fisherfolk perspective on pairing wine with fish for Lent.

Beyond just the choice of fish, the sauce and preparation method will affect the taste of wine paired with fish. If you want to pair wine with fish there are four groups you can use to classify them:

• Lean and flaky fish. Some examples are flounder, sea bass, cod, tilapia, and porgy (think: tacos). These are mild-flavoured white fish with filets that are thin and flaky. When pairing look for zesty and refreshing whites to balance the delicate fish flavour — Champagne, cava, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc, or even a Spanish white like an Albariño, or unoaked chardonnays (like Chablis).

• Medium textured fish. This is still a flaky fish but with a firmer and thicker texture that can stand up to richer sauces and ingredients — and wine too! Examples include red snapper and trout, grouper, black fish, haddock and red fish. Look for medium to rich full bodied whites aged in oak — chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, Chenin Blanc, Vermentino, Soave, Dry Reisling and Pinot Gris.

• Meaty fish. These types of fish are firm with a meaty and steak-like texture — tuna, swordfish, salmon, mackerel, and mahi mahi. Rich white wines with lots of flavour and even a few red and rosé wines. A vintage champagne, dry Rosé, an oaked Chardonnay Viognier, or Italian Chardonnay would be a match made in foodie heaven

• Intensely flavoured. Sardine, herring, anchovies and mackerel — something happens with strong fish. The intensity gets a lot bolder. Usually you would choose a white wine with white fish but in this instance it might be better with a red! If you’re hoping to pair fish with red wine, opt for a low tannin red, like a Pinot Noir or Gamay. Other options include a Champagne Crémant, dry Rosé, or Cava.

Wine #1: Chic Cava Rosé is a single-variety Cava made with Trepat grapes. This variety is grown in the Conca de Barbera valley in central Catalonia (north-eastern Spain). This is a fruit-forward, fresh and crisp sparkling rosado (rosé) that has a subtle sweetness that makes any occasion the perfect one.

Today’s fresh catch — Silver Snapper, Red Snapper, Jack, Porgy are a plenty. “These fish are perfect for a fish fry, or any style brown stew, steam, and roast,” says Shango the “original” “longtime big man”. Shango says he’s been here for a “whole heap a years”, sharing that this is great for a “dinner style like some roast conch”. Shango picks up a little “sour taste” on the back end of the sparkling rose and suggests that “it would be nice with some pepper shrimp”.

Israel, now 20 years old (Shango’s young assistant), remembers starting his life at River Bay from he was a baby. “I am fishing for almost four years now. About the wine — “I would try a roast fish wid this (Chic Cava Rosé)”. We chat as Israel eats a roast fish presented simply on sea grape leaf. Israel roasted the fish and seasoned it with onion, pepper, salt, and a little Scotch bonnet “cut up fine and rub up inna it”. On the Chic Cava Rosé – “dis one nice, though.”

Wine #2: MontGras De-Vine Chardonnay Reserva (Central Valley, Chile). Lemon yellow with golden reflections, this chardonnay has intense tropical aromas such as pineapple, guava and banana, accompanied by subtle citrus touches of grapefruit and lime. Pairs perfectly with white meats, fish and seafood in general.

Israel says the chardonnay is “not sweet like the last one, but it can gwaan”. He suggests trying it with a whole roasted lobster and I agree it would go perfectly!

Wine #3: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) intense and alive with lots of flavour dominated by passion fruit, fresh citrus and herbaceous aromas.

Fifty-eight-year-old fisherman Dalton Morris “born and grow“ in Montego Bay and can be found at River Bay Fishing Village. “Everyone calls me Cliffy or Irie [most published name]. I am fishing from I am 17 years old and I love brown stew. I fry it then add scallion, onion, garlic and add Irish [potato]. Sometimes I slice it up and steam it with Irish.

Wine #4: Berne Inspiration Rosé, Côtes De Provence, France

& Wine #5: Villa Maria Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand pair well with Morris’ one-pot cook-up. Both the rosé and lighter-style Pinot Noir hold up well to the multitude of flavour from this seafood feast. First you take “sea cat (octopus), conch and squid, cook in one pot and add rice. Then add coconut milk, scallion, thyme, and tomatoes sometimes spinach and cauliflower and mek dat cook down. My family loves that and they war wid me to cook it whenever I am with them.”

Known to many in the River Bay Fishing Village as “Muffin”, though not a fisherman, he opened a seafood restaurant here six months ago. Muffin likes wine and admittedly drinks Champagne or red wine with any one of the dishes he cooks — “I’ve been cooking from I am born and like wine.” On the menu you can find sea cat, conch, lobster, and fish. “I do brown stew, curry, and fry. We do “all kinda style”. On opening the restaurant: “I wanted to have a seafood enjoyment getting fish straight from the sea.” Muffin enjoyed every drop of the Chic Cava Rosé and the Villa Maria Pinot Noir and looks forward to my next visit.