Tapas is the perfect food for social events, there is something for everyone and you can eat and socialize for a really long time! Seafood is gathered on the plate along with meat, vegetables and cheeses. When we have many different flavors on the plate, it can be difficult to find a drink that will suit all different dishes and flavors. Many people prefer red wine to tapas – a hot tip is to choose a medium-bodied, soft and fruity red wine. Happy Spain from Spain! The wine’s fruity elements balance heat while its soft body works to the many components of the plate. Try Gran Bodega, for example.
Gambas al ajillo
Umami-flavored prawns in oil with hot chili and garlic. A real favorite that is frequently ordered at tapas restaurants and that can be cooked really well at home. Especially in our simple recipe gambas al ajillo that you cook in a frying pan! This tasty dish that you eat with bread is suitable for a wine with a little fruit sweetness that can balance the hot notes from chili and garlic. We also choose a sparkling wine with spicy acidity that refreshes the palate from the full-bodied oil.
Patatas Bravas
The best thing about tapas is that there are so many different dishes to choose from, when you make tapas at home, it is therefore practical that some of the dishes are really easy to cook. Patatas bravas are fried potatoes with strong sauce which is an obvious part of the tapas table. Here, the wonderfully fried taste meets the characteristic hot patatas bravas sauce in an incredibly good combination that makes this a real favorite snack. Here it goes well with a fruity wine that can balance the hot bravass sauce.
Empanadas
Empanadas are small hearty pies filled with minced meat, olives and feta cheese. Our empanadas recipe is just as excellent at making vegetarian as these with minced meat – just replace the minced meat with vego minced meat. Serve your empanadas with a fruity red wine with a full body that marries the structure of the minced meat and with a fine acidity that meets the sour feta cheese in the pies.
Croquetas jamon
A little fried on the tapas table belongs to and these good cylindrical croquettes with Spanish cheese and ham really melt in your mouth. A rather full-bodied tapas with saltiness that goes well with a fruity wine with fine acidity. The saltiness of this tapas helps to balance the acidity of the wine and enhances the wine’s fruity tones which are grateful in combination with the machego cheese.
Pimientos de padron
A really easy tapas but oh so good. Pimientos de padron is a must on the tapas table. Small tasty peppers with hot tones that you fry and season with flake salt. Cava with its generous fruit, which can balance the heat of the dish, is once again suitable for these strong vegetables.
Pan with tomatoes
A classic little tapas where the pure flavors of the ingredients really come out and shine. In this Pan con tomato recipe, we get a symphony of Spanish flavors in the form of sun-ripened tomatoes, garlic and olive oil served in a mess of small sourdough sandwiches. Wonderfully good in its simplicity. For this, it fits well with a fresh acid that can meet the natural acid in the tomato puree and a light body that does not feel too heavy for the delicious sandwich.
Potato tortilla
Tortilla de patatas is a hearty omelette with potatoes that you cut into smaller pieces and serve as tapas. One of our more nutritious tapas that tastes of potatoes, creamy eggs, onions and garlic. Egg-based food can be a little tricky to add wine to. Choose a fruity wine with balanced acidity that can meet the egg’s sensitive egg whites that can react strongly to tannins and acidity.
Manchego
We also want to see some cheese and charcuterie on the tapas table. The Spanish cheese manchego is a relatively mild and kind hard cheese made from sheep’s milk. A young manchego is suitable for a light fruity and floral wine that allows the cheese’s delicate tones to grow. Choose between berry red wine with soft tannins or a fruity sparkling wine. A aged manchego develops slightly sharper tones and for these you can press with a tastier wine – preferably a rioja with age, soft body and tones of dried fruit.
Jamon serrano and Jamon iberico
The Spanish charcuterie Jamon serrano, which is an air-dried ham, goes well with a fresh and light wine. A chilled, fruity white wine with spicy acidity goes well or a cool, light, berry red wine – we choose a lighter wine for charcuterie as it is served cold in thin delicacy slices and an overly strong wine would take over in the combination. A good combination is also Serrano together with a dry rosé wine – From Spain of course.
For Jamón Ibérico, which is many people’s favorite ham with its oily texture that melts in the mouth and almost sweet tone, we choose a soft wine from rioja with age and ripe fruit.
