Come on, Pittsburgh: Unwrap the fish and open that red.

It is true that not every red wine goes with every fish, but there is plenty of sexy chemistry that goes beyond the time-tested coupling of pinot noir and salmon.

Navigating new waters in the pairing of fish and wines was on the agenda for a recent, sold-out class of 30 enthusiasts at Palate Partners in the Strip District.

"We've all moved beyond white with chicken and fish, and red with beef," says Deb Mortillaro in opening the class.

Ms. Mortillaro, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, is a principal of Palate Partners, a tabletop store that began hosting wine tastings two years ago.

For the wines, she needed to look no farther than across the room. They were supplied by a sister company, Dreadnought Wines, operated for 20 years by wine expert Mike Gonze.

Dreadnought offers an alternative way for individuals and caterers to purchase interesting, lesser-known wines not offered by state stores. The tutelage that Mr. Gonze offers purchasers is free.

For fish expertise, the class tapped Chef Henry Dewey, co-owner of Penn Avenue Fish Market, Ms. Mortillaro's and Mr. Gonze's neighbor.

With their wine choices, Ms. Mortillaro and Mr. Gonze have thrown down the gauntlet for the fish chef.

The first wine is a white: Eberle Mill Road Viognier (2006, $19.99), made in Paso Robles, Calif., by legendary vintner Gary Eberle, a native of Moon. This full-bodied, mouth-coating wine has lots of fans for its classic viognier floral fragrance, fruit flavors and spice. The food match is a slightly Asian salad of chile-oil spiced calamari and green onions, topped with a delicate sushi-style slice of raw yellowtail tuna.

The powerful contrasts illuminate Ms. Mortillaro's approach to matching. "I like putting opposites together. Here you are getting the creamy mouth-feel of the wine, which buffers the palate from too much hot chile or pungent scallion. The buttery, delicate-flavored raw tuna also serves to lighten out the spice."

This is one lively pairing. It is fun to feel the chile heat "settling in," with each taming sip of the many-splendored wine.

Second is a Spanish white that none in the room knew: Gurrutxaga Txakolina (2006, $13.99). "Pittsburghers do not buy wines they can't pronounce," thundered Mr. Gonze.

We sip and discover a medium-bodied wine that is both pleasantly minerally and fruity. It is crisper than the viognier and the acidity is a refreshing match with a delicate shrimp-and-mussel salad.

"Whites are often thought of as the lemon you'd put on top of fish," Ms. Mortillaro said.

Now, finally, the reds.

"We really pushed Henry on those," Ms. Mortillaro said. "So we backed off a little."

For the first red the team picked a light-to-medium-bodied young pinot noir, Babich Lone Tree (2004, $12.99), from New Zealand. The pinot, described as "soft and supple with sweet fruit, earthy, spicy," is served with a salad of salmon ceviche (lightly "cooked" in a citrus marinade). Also in the dish are roasted beets, brie and pears.

"Do the pinot's soft tannins work with the salad? I think the acid in the wine and the fattiness of the salmon are an example of great opposites," Ms. Mortillaro said. "The pinot and beet together are fascinating too."

The class sipped, nibbled and thought about this updated take on salmon and pinot.

On to the last course, the big kahuna.

"We wanted a big red that could hold up to a tuna entree with some strong flavors," said Ms. Mortillaro. "But we didn't want a big booming red, like a tannic California cabernet that would overpower everything."

The general advice seems to be that you can choose "bigger" reds with meatier fish, such as tuna, salmon and sea bass. But there are limits.

"A red wine, like an Oregon pinot noir, with wild-caught salmon is the classic -- as easy a match as putting a big cab with any kind of lamb," said Mr. Dewey.

"But the big cabernet (full-bodied with lots of tannins) with other fish is tough."

Ms. Mortillaro and Mr. Gonze chose a substantial but not huge 2004 Dom L'Espiquette Vacqueyras from France's Rhone Valley ($22). It is served with sturdy pineapple-charred tuna with crunchy quinoa and a black olive relish.

Mr. Dewey had been worrying about the black olive element. He had read the descriptions but had not tasted the wine beforehand. (Chefs are supposed to be able to imagine these things.)

The tasting notes: "Brilliant raspberry garnet color. Nose of blackberry with a hint of anise. Black pepper, anise up front. Dried cranberry with cherry and leather in the mid-palate. White pepper on the finish."

Said Mr. Gonze: "We have charred pineapple ... Why do we have charred pineapple? Because the caramelized sugar balances the saltiness of the olives."

"Like chocolate-covered pretzels," Ms. Mortillaro said.

Said Mr. Gonze: "Why would we have the olives?" He waits. "Because they grow in that region."

For one taster, Susan Barclay of Point Breeze, the charring makes another contribution. "It adds that hint of smokiness and complexity that comes from the grill. That to me complements the Rhone wine."

For taster Susan Page, self-described wine geek, the wine delivers a special small kick. She "gets" the leather promised in the tasting notes.

In my case the leather got away. But when the scorched sugar, sweet-tart pineapple, meaty, slightly sweet tuna and meaty, funky black olives on the plate start making friends with the earth and fennel and fruit in the glass, some kind of dialogue begins that is very sexy.

It's a great finale, and I don't want it to stop.

A round of applause signals the end: This crew has achieved a skillful, happy landing.

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For information: Palate Partners, 2013 Penn Ave., 412-391-8502 (www.palatepartners.com); Dreadnought Wines, 2013 Penn Ave., 800-565-2816; Penn Avenue Fish Company, 2208 Penn Ave., 412-434-7200.