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Why 20 Feet Seafood Joint in East Dallas is a bring-your-own-wine bonanza

We found eight wines - from crisp whites to a dry sherry - that pair perfectly with fried seafood favorites.

Dining out for high-quality seafood can be expensive, especially when you order wine. That’s not the case at 20 Feet Seafood Joint in East Dallas. This counter-service, BYOB restaurant serves impeccably sourced, well-prepared seafood at reasonable prices. There’s no corkage fee for the wine you bring, and 20 Feet provides a bucket of ice for chilling.

Last month, the wine panel toted 25 wines into 20 Feet for a wine pairing quest. Although we’re fans of the restaurant’s raw oysters and fish specials, we stuck to fried fare. Our mission was to find pairings for New England seafood-shack favorites: fried oysters, clams, and fish and chips (garlic and herb-flecked fries that rival the best in town).

The Dallas Morning News wine panel paired wine with entrees from 20 Feet Seafood on Peavy...
The Dallas Morning News wine panel paired wine with entrees from 20 Feet Seafood on Peavy Road in Dallas. They paired wines with various dishes, such as fried Ipswich whole belly clams, Blue Point oysters and fish & chips. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
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Our wine choices were all over the map, from albariño to sauvignon blanc. Besides some predictable styles, we tried wines that you might not have considered. Thinking outside the box paid off with stellar matches that succeeded where some of our conventional picks failed. We knew that wines with good fruit and acidity were needed to handle the richness of the fried seafood. What surprised us was how some wines with that profile got lost, or changed for the worse when sipped with the food.

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Our winning wines had crisp, clean, tart and mineral or saline notes that enhanced the dishes — just as lemon and salt accent seafood. Having some structure or body helped, too. Five of our eight wine matches ― including a light Italian red ― were under $20, and two were over $30. We rationalized the splurges this way: At a BYOB restaurant, you’re saving money on the wine, no matter how much it costs.

Read on to learn about the wines ― which include some surprises ― that went swimmingly with 20 Feet’s fried seafood.

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Tasters: Paul Botamer, sommelier and wine director at Fearing’s at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas; Rebecca Murphy, wine consultant and freelance writer; Jasper Russo, director of wine marketing, Sigel’s Fine Wines and Great Spirits; James Tidwell, certified wine educator, master sommelier, and beverage manager at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas; Tina Danze, food writer

Poggio al Tesoro “Solosole” Vermentino 2018, Italy
Poggio al Tesoro “Solosole” Vermentino 2018, Italy(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Poggio al Tesoro “Solosole” Vermentino 2018, Italy

$17.99 to $24.99 at Jimmy’s Food Store, Dallas Fine Wine and Pogo’s

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This medium-bodied wine from Italy’s Bolgheri region shows juicy stone fruits followed by flinty mineral notes. “Crisp and clean, it goes really well with the fried seafood — it cuts through the fattiness,” Botamer said. “The acidity is still there with the food. The clams bring out an interesting tropical and stone-fruit quality in the wine. It goes well with the fish, too,” Murphy said.

Russo put a dash of malt vinegar on the clams and enjoyed the wine pairing even more. “It brought together the flavors in the vermentino and brought out an earthiness in the clams, making for a better wine match,” he said. Tidwell noted that unlike several wines that we nixed, this wine retained its fruit alongside the fried food.

Bassermann-Jordan Forst Riesling, Trocken 2016, Germany
Bassermann-Jordan Forst Riesling, Trocken 2016, Germany(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Bassermann-Jordan Forst Riesling, Trocken 2016, Germany

$35.99 at Pogo’s, and by special order at Sigel’s

Dry Rieslings make great food wines, and this Rhine River Valley wine proved an especially good match for fried seafood. Unlike many of the wines that we sampled, its character did not change when sipped with the food. “The aromas and flavors — lime zest and stone fruits – are just gorgeous. Eat all the fried food you want – this wine will take care of it,” Murphy said.

“With crisp minerality, ripe Macintosh apple and citrus flavors, there’s a lot of power cutting through,” Botamer said. Tidwell noted that the wine cleansed the palate, preparing it for the next bite. “That something you want with fried food,” he said. Unlike other wines we sampled “this wine becomes more complex with the food,” he added.

La Guita Manzanilla Sherry, NV, Spain
La Guita Manzanilla Sherry, NV, Spain(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

La Guita Manzanilla Sherry, NV, Spain

$16.99 ($9.99 for 375 ml) at Sigel’s, Dallas Fine Wine, and Pogo’s

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Shocked to see a dry sherry as a top pick? Knowing this bracingly crisp style well, our panelists weren’t the least bit surprised. “It can stand up to a lot of foods — anything with salt,” Murphy said. Manzanilla, a very dry sherry style, is essentially the same as a fino sherry, but made in the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a little closer to the sea. Panelists agreed that this wine matched well with all the dishes on our table.

The sherry’s “breezy, sea spray-salinity goes well with fried food,” Tidwell said. “It has a freshness that isn’t based on acid, but from being protected from oxidation,” he added. Whereas other sherry styles are allowed to oxidize (contributing to their darker appearance), manzanilla and fino sherries are covered with a cap of local yeast known as flor, which prevents oxidation, and adds a tangy note. “It’s delicious — crisp and fresh with a hint of salinity — and it marries beautifully with the food,” Botamer said. “The alcohol level [15%] is perfect for the dish; it’s so well-balanced that you don’t taste the alcohol,” Russo said.

Like most sherries, this is a terrific value, especially considering all that goes into producing it. Thanks to the solera aging system — a precise blend of previous and current vintages — a sherry’s profile remains consistent from year to year. Tidwell said that fino sherries also pair well with fried seafood. He advises looking for the freshest bottle you can find (the label should indicate a best-buy date).

Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco “Tradition” 2017, Italy
Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco “Tradition” 2017, Italy(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
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Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco “Tradition” 2017, Italy

$21.99 to $22.92 at Sigel’s and Pogo’s

This wine from Northern Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region shows impressive body and a good balance of fruit and acidity. “It has a nice green apple note that complements the food,” Botamer said. He and Tidwell added that the wine’s acidity does a great job of cutting through the fried food’s fattiness. “Although the wine has a lot of structure on its own, the food mellows it out enough to make it a good pairing,” Russo said.

Ridgeview Cavendish Brut 2013, England
Ridgeview Cavendish Brut 2013, England(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
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Ridgeview Cavendish Brut 2013, England

$50.99 to $60.99 at Total Wine and More in Arlington, Pogo’s, and by special order at Sigel’s

Lately, sparkling wine geeks have been abuzz over British sparklers that rival fine Champagnes. The family-owned Cavendish estate is among the upstarts, drawing international acclaim ever since its Blanc de Blanc beat out five top Champagnes at Decanter’s World Wine Awards in 2010. The estate’s Brut sparkler ― also an award-winner ― is pinot noir dominant, showing red berry, toast and almond notes, and a fine, elegant mousse. Whereas a well-made California sparkler that we tried flattened out with the seafood, and a good-quality prosecco turned sweet with the fish, this sparkler not only held its own, but enhanced the fried fare.

“It has more acidity. That helps a lot with the richness of the fried food ― it brightens everything up,” Murphy said. “Its yeastiness highlights the breading on the clams ― I like it,” Tidwell said. Demand for this sparkler has shot up since last year, and with it the price (blame it on the Royal Wedding!). But BYOB dining gives justification for a wine splurge, since there’s no restaurant markup. Tidwell said that any good Brut or Blanc de Blanc Champagne would also pair well with the fried seafood.

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Tasca d’Almerita Tascante “Buonora,” Etna DOC, 2017, Italy
Tasca d’Almerita Tascante “Buonora,” Etna DOC, 2017, Italy(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Tasca d’Almerita Tascante “Buonora,” Etna DOC, 2017, Italy

$18.99 to $19.99 at Jimmy’s Food Store, Pogo’s, and by special order at Sigel’s

Grown on Sicily’s Mount Etna for centuries — some say a millennium — carricante shines in this high-acidity wine of the Etna DOC. Volcanic soils give this crisp, refreshing wine a hint of minerality. “It’s clean, bright and delicious — a great combo with the fried fish,” Botamer said. “It shows more depth of flavor and texture [than many whites that we sampled]. It’s nice and dry, with white nectarine fruit, and it’s not overpowered by the breading [on the fried food],” Russo said. Tidwell added that although the wine has weight, it doesn’t come off as heavy with the food.

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McPherson Cellars Les Copains White 2017, Texas
McPherson Cellars Les Copains White 2017, Texas(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

McPherson Cellars Les Copains White 2017, Texas

$12.99 to $14.99 at Total Wine; Spec’s on North Central Expressway; Market Street (Plano and Allen stores); Whole Foods on Lomo Alto; Danny’s Liquor on Northwest Highway; Tom Thumb in McKinney

This wine offers more proof of Texas’ ideal terroir for growing white Rhône grape varieties ― especially viognier and roussanne, the anchors of this five-grape blend. Dry and fruity, with crisp acidity and a touch of minerality, this wine held up well to the fried food. “It’s got some intensity, and perfect balance, so it doesn’t get washed out,” Botamer said. “The wine’s fruitiness marries really well with the earthiness of the clams,” Russo said. He added that the wine was even better with the saltier bites.

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Alois Lageder Schiava 2018 at The Dallas Morning News wine panel at 20 Feet Seafood on Peavy...
Alois Lageder Schiava 2018 at The Dallas Morning News wine panel at 20 Feet Seafood on Peavy Road in Dallas. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Alois Lageder Schiava 2018, Italy

$14.99 to $15.99 at Jimmy’s Food Store; Pogo’s

Panelists were delighted to find a red wine that works with fried seafood. Schiava, an indigenous grape from the Alto Adige region, produces light reds with light to moderate tannins. “It has so much acidity, and the tannins are very soft, so it works really well,” Murphy said. She especially liked the wine with the fried clams.

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“It has great black plum fruit — and the plum skin comes through,” Botamer said. “The fruit holds up to fish and chips,” Tidwell said. Russo gave credit for the pairing to the wine’s “bright acidity, soft tannins, and crunchy fruit,” adding that “a Beaujolais would also work, for the same reasons."

Tina Danze is a Dallas freelance writer.