I really enjoyed my first trip to Spain earlier this year. I was excited to experience the country’s highly regarded food and wine culture, and it did not disappoint! From a simple pairing of a local Catalan red wine with cheese and a gorgeous view in Girona, to a leisurely multi-course meal in Madrid, every stop seemed to have its own wine to match.
Since coming back, I’ve been continuing to enjoy Spanish wines and experimenting with pairings at home. That made Spanish wine a natural theme for me to suggest for our upcoming Wine Pairing Weekend (#winePW).
This is a flexible theme. You can focus on Spanish wine and pairing that you find refreshing on a warm summer evening, or lean into Spanish wines that work with grilling and other summer fare.
Wines to Consider for the Theme
Spain produces a wide range of wine styles, giving a lot of choices for this theme.
You could feature a wine from a well-known region like Rioja, known for structured reds built mostly around Tempranillo. Or dip into lesser-known regions like Navarra, known for approachable rosados, or Catalonia, home to Cava and a growing lineup of native red grapes that I enjoyed while visiting the region. Rueda is another one worth a look - I recently paired a Verdejo from there with salmon and kale pesto pasta, and the wine’s bright acidity worked well alongside the pesto’s herbal notes. You can find that pairing, along with a few others, in my Best Wine with Salmon post. Priorat and Rías Baixas are two more regions worth exploring if you want to go further off the beaten path.
Summer pairings can lean into lighter styles too - a chilled rosado, a crisp white (hello, Albariño!), or even a lightly-chilled red - alongside grilled or warm-weather dishes. Grab a bottle you are curious about or want to highlight, and tell us how you paired it with a summer meal or snack.
How to Participate
Here’s how to join the August Wine Pairing Weekend event:
- Obtain one or more bottles of Spanish wine that you would like to feature.
- Plan a food pairing or pairings to go with the wine.
- Let me know the title of your article about the wine and pairing by emailing me - david AT cookingchatfood.com.
- Post your article by 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, April 11. Include the links to the other participating bloggers in your article (I will provide the html code).
- Visit the other participating blogs, comment and share their posts!
- Use the #winePW hashtag when posting on social media about this event.
If you’re just stopping by and not looking to write an article on the topic, please drop a comment about a Spanish wine pairing that you’ve enjoyed!
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