Pair your food with the best Spanish wine

Spanish wines are known worldwide for their great variety and quality. The country has 134 wine designations of origin. Each of them is a differentiating sample of the quality of wines and the particularity of each region or territory that makes them.

With such a wide variety of options, anyone can find one to their liking that matches the occasion, from wine enthusiast superyacht guests to those who are a beginner in the world of wines.

But let’s start from the beginning.

How about we go through, how to perfectly pair your chef's dishes with Spanish wines?

Spanish wines are notably made for enjoying them with the most delicious dishes. One of the keys to a perfect pairing is to choose different Spanish wines that match your menu.

Young and light wines are served first and aged and full-bodied wines should be served last. In addition, the pairing of wines and dishes can follow different criteria. It can follow a measure of contrast, where you combine light meals with light wines, for example, or it can act as an association, where the ingredients of the dishes resemble the qualities of wine. You would have to choose a specific principle depending on the effect you seek to achieve.

At Evolution, we want to introduce you to the alluring world of Spanish wines, by bringing you a unique selection that pairs with the best dishes.

There are many Spanish wines with different designations of origin that are worth having in your superyacht winery for your guests to try. Our experts share a list of their favourite’s:

Jerez wine

There are many good and easy-to-obtain Spanish wines, such as the Jerez wine. It’s usually an easy-to-drink wine, light, fresh and sweet. It is ideally served as an appetizer with nuts, dried fruits, and soft cheeses.

Within the Jerez wines, you can find a wide variety. The most known ones are the fine, chamomile, amontillado, oloroso, palo cortado, medium, cream, muscatel, and Pedro Ximénez. This latter is frequently used to make wine-reduction sauces that accompany meat dishes.

Albariño and Godello Galician wines

If you are looking for good quality Spanish white wines, Galician wines are highly recommended. Varieties with designation of origin such as Godello and Albariño (D.O. Rias Baixas), pair perfectly with raw, boiled, and grilled seafood.

The Godello variety is a fantastic choice to pair with grilled or baked white fish, with red and white meats, soft cheeses, rice stews and salads.

Albariño wine, the most famous of Galicia, is often paired with snacks, appetizers, fritters, creamy and fresh cheeses, Iberic ham, and all sorts of fish.

Rioja (reserve wine or aged wine)

Among the most famous Spanish designation of origin wines in the world there is the unmatchable Rioja. You can find white and red wines within this variety. The red wines have intense aromas with a lot of body as they are aged in oak barrels.

Aged red wines are ideally combined with stews, cured cheeses, lamb, entrecôtes and stewed lentils.

If the red wine is a reserve wine, our expert team recommends pairing it with game meat, such as wild boar, deer, and very cured cheeses.

The white wines aged in barrels make an excellent blend with white meat roasts, poultry, and fish which include strong flavours.

If the white wines have been fermented in barrels, our team recommends you combining them with vegetable or fish cakes and fish stews.

Even if they are not so well known, the Rioja denomination of origin also offers excellent cava that perfectly accompanies snacks and desserts.

Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero

Amid Spanish wines, those from Ribera del Duero require honorable mention.

A wine well known for its ruby colour, however, when the wine is young, you can appreciate garnet in the borders, and tile colour when aged.

It has a fatty, spicy, and balsamic input scent with roasted liquorice and a strong aftertaste that is pleasant and very persistent.

With a young red wine like Tempranillo, it is possible to pair cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna. You can also use it with vegetables in light stews and different kinds of white meats whenever the recipe is soft.

Binissalem

In Mallorca, we can find a local Designation of Origin wine, whose grapes have been harvested in both Binissalem and Santa Maria del Camí. The Binissalem D.O. includes many kinds of wines.

The red wines have a medium colour intensity with fruity aromas and vegetable undertones. On the palate they are warm, with a good structure, balanced with a strong aftertaste especially with red meats and cheese.

The Binissalem Rosé wines are bright and clear. They also have primary aromas of red fruits while remaining balanced and persistent. You can pair it with vegetable dishes, pasta, salads, or soft flavoured dishes.

If your guests are more into white wine, you will find the ones with this D.O. of Mallorca clear and bright, characterized by the presence of white fruit aromas such as pear, apple, and citrus notes. This wine is the best for pairing with fish.

D.O. Penedès

D.O. Penedès, in Catalonia has managed to unite the past and the present while at the same time keeping intact its tradition, allowing them to show a seal of heritage, tradition and prestige with a recognition that breaks borders.

This wine allows soft, silky, and fruity young white wines to pair together with more structured ones that have been raised in a barrel. That makes them more consistent. The most well-known variety is called Xarel·lo. We totally recommend tasting it with fish, seafood, and soft meat.