Wine & Tapas – Grape to Glass

When looking to pair a wine with tapas...

Try to focus on pairing the strength of flavours, weight and intensity of the dish in question with the wine. Wine and food are meant for each other; each enhances and strengthens the experience of the whole, they bring out the best in each other.
Consider whether a dish is ‘light’ , 'medium' or 'heavy' in nature - in general, look to pair a crisp, lighter-style wine with a light dish, a medium-style wine to pair with a slightly fuller dish, and a full-bodied wine to go with and complement a richer, heavier more intensely flavoured dish - and so forth.

Pairing wine with tapas just sounds fun - let alone actually being a great tasting experience. The first wines that always come to my mind are a Fino or Amontillado Sherry which seem to go so well with almost every kind of tapas from olives to fish to chicken. Plus being especially good with salty tapas like anchovies, seasoned almonds and with spicy or garlic prawns. When you find the best match a Sherry served cold and fresh - just cuts so well through the salt, oils and subtle fats to release all the hidden flavours and cleanses the palate for the next bite or mouth full.
Another wine top of mind - is a lively Rosado (Rosé wine) as they can stand up well to the vibrant and sometimes robust flavours of tapas, with a favourite match of mine being with a good seafood Paella. Youthful, Rioja red wines are also an enjoyable match - particularly if you are enjoying meat style tapas like chorizo and kidneys cooked in sherry or wine. In fact most tapas’ sessions can start with a chilled dry sherry, then move onto a Rosado/Rosé or a Spanish white wine like an Albariño, or a crisp dry Riesling, or even a Chablis, with seafood tapas and then move onto a red Rioja Crianza or light Syrah, or a Rhône-Valley red blend with meat or mushroom-based dishes. Then for those slow cooked, roasted or BBQ cooked meatier tapas you can pair a Gran Reserva, a Carménère and even Cabernet based red wines.
Also don’t forget - along with crisp, fresh still white wines - also look to match certain tapas with a fresh Cava (sparkling wine) - which can pair extremely well with fried dishes such as calamari, croquettes, with fried fish and other seafood dishes - enjoy the journey.

Anchovies:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate from the very salty and concentrated fish and oily flavours, plus the sharp anchovy bite of the tapa.
So you need a lively, dry white wine with bright citrus notes, a light palate weight and crisp acidity.
• White Wine: A chilled Fino Sherry, Pinot Grigio, a crisp Albariño, a lively dry Riesling, even a 'dry style' Cava or Prosecco.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the subtle fish notes, though a light, dry Rosé can pair on occasions.

Frittata:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the freshly made Frittata made with eggs, potato, and with herbs and seasonal vegetables.
So you need a lively, dry white wine with fresh fruits characters, a light palate weight wine with clean acidity.
• White Wine: A chilled Arneis, Macabeo, Albariño, Pinot Grigio, Fino Sherry, a dry Verdelho, Riesling & Sauvignon Blanc.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the subtle notes, though a lively, crisp Rosado / Rosé can pair well.

Garlic Prawns:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the prawns that have been cooked in garlic and any other seasoning.
So you need a lively, dry white wine with bright citrus fruits, a light to medium wine with good natural acidity.
• White Wine: A Macabeo, Albariño, Pinot Grigio, a dry Pinot Gris or a crisp Riesling, a dry Chenin Blanc and also a Verdelho.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the prawns, though a still or sparkling Rosé will pair very well.

Patatas Bravas:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the patatas bravas, which is fried in oil and served with a spicy tomato sauce or with mayonnaise.
So you need a ripe, fruit flavoured wine with a light to medium palate weight, and balanced acidity.
• White Wine: A Fino or Amontillado Sherry, a fuller style Grüner Veltliner, or a slightly oaked Chardonnay.
• Red Wine: A Rioja ‘joven’ red, a Crianza or light Chianti, a Beaujolais and even pair with a lighter style Pinot Noir.

Iberico Ham:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the ripe, sweet, nutty, earthy flavours in the Iberico Ham, while the soft marbled fat melts in the mouth.
So you need a ripe, fruit driven style wine with a medium palate weight and integrated tannins and subtle oak notes.
• White Wine: A quality Cava, dry lightly oaked Chardonnay, a Grüner Veltliner and an Oloroso Sherry.
• Red Wine: An engaging Rosado / Rosé wine, plus a dry Crianza and also a light Chianti will pair very nicely.

Rosemary Lamb Skewers:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the cooked, moist lamb pieces, with seasoning and the infused herbs & jus glaze.
So you need a ripe, layered wine with a medium palate weight, integrated oak and well balanced dry tannins.
• White Wine: As we are working with a pink-meat, you will need a well-made 'barrel fermented' Chardonnay, with age if possible.
• Red Wine: A Rioja Reserva red, a Chianti Classico DOCG, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and a good quality, fuller style Pinot Noir.

Cooked Chorizo:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the grilled or pan fried chorizo with the fats, oils, infused herbs and with a seasoned sauce.
So you need a ripe, fruit layered wine with a medium palate weight, integrated oak and well balanced dry tannins.
• White Wine:Can be difficult to pair - but on some occasions a lightly chilled Oloroso Sherry.
• Red Wine: A Rioja Reserva red, Chianti Classico, Rhône style red blend, a rich Syrah and also a fruit forward, well balanced Shiraz.

Calamari:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate and bring out the flavours in the subtle oils and the flesh/ texture of the squid, plus any seasoning used in the cooking technique.
So you need a lively, dry white wine with bright citrus notes, a light palate weight and balanced acidity.
• White Wine: A Vernaccia, Albariño, Pinot Grigio, a dry Pinot Gris or Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and a chilled Fino or Manzanilla Sherry.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the subtle fish notes, though dry Rosé or sparkling will pair on occasions.

Jamón & Peach:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the fresh sweet peach, plus the slightly salty notes in the cured ham and its subtle oils and fat.
So you need a lively, dry wine with fresh fruit characters, a light palate weight with balanced acidity.
• White Wine: An Albariño, Arneis, Pinot Grigio, a Verdelho, a full flavoured Riesling, Cava and an unoaked Chardonnay.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the subtle notes, though a lively, crisp Rosado / Rosé will pair very nicely.

Fish Croquettes:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the crispy, fried croquettes, filled with fish, potato and subtle herbs.
So you need a fruit driven style wine with a medium palate weight, integrated oak and cleansing acidity.
• White Wine: A lightly oaked Chardonnay or Sauvignon, dry Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner, and a lightly chilled Amontillado Sherry.
• Red Wine: Difficult to match as most red wines will over power the fish notes, though a lively, crisp dry Rosado / Rosé can pair well.

Chicken Skewers:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the grilled chicken kebabs, which maybe coated with spices, herbs and even served with a peanut sauce.
So you need a fruit driven wine with a medium palate weight, integrated oak and balanced acidity.
• White Wine: An oaked Chardonnay, a quality Grüner Veltliner, plus a quality Methode Sparkling and a lightly chilled Oloroso Sherry.
• Red Wine: A Rosado / Rosé wine, a dry, light style Rioja red, a Valpolicella or a lighter style Pinot Noir.

Mushrooms:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the grilled or pan fried mushrooms, with an earthy, rich taste and texture, with subtle seasoning.
So you need a fruit driven wine with a light to medium palate weight, subtle oak notes, and balanced tannins.
• White Wine: A barrel fermented Chardonnay, a Fumé Blanc and a lightly chilled aged Oloroso Sherry.
• Red Wine:A light style Rioja red, a Valpolicella or Primitivo even a Dolcetto, or a light-medium style Chianti and Pinot Noir.

Meatballs:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the grilled or pan fried meatballs with the fats, oils, herbs and seasoned sauce.
So you need a ripe, fruit driven wine with a medium palate weight, integrated oak and well balanced dry tannins.
• White Wine: Can be slightly difficult, though an aged Oloroso Sherry, or a full flavoured 'barrel fermented' Chardonnay can work.
• Red Wine: A Rioja Reserva red, a Tempranillo blend, Chianti Classico, a Syrah and even a light style Shiraz.

Mixed Olives:

You are looking to complement the flavours and then refresh the palate, while bringing out the flavours in the green olives which are slightly salty, as well as being denser and firmer in texture than black olives.
So you need a confident, dry white wine with bright fruits notes, a light to medium wine with balanced acidity.
• White Wine: A Fino or Manzanilla Sherry, Macabeo, Albariño, Pinot Grigio, a dry Verdelho and also a White Port & Tonic.
• Red Wine: Some red wines will over power the green olives, though a crisp dry Rosado / Rosé can pair, with black olives most dry reds.