Spain Culinary Trips: Wine and Tapas Pairings

Tapas is a wonderful Spanish phenomenon that has become popular around the globe, and with good cause. What could be better than delectable small plates of Spanish food, paired with good wines and friendly conversation?

On our Spain wine tours in Barcelona, for instance, hopping from taberna to taberna for a taste of the local wines and a few tapas plates with one’s friends is part of the culture, and is a wonderful way to explore the food and nightlife of this vibrant city.

See our culinary tours in Spain.

You can recreate the experience at home, as well, especially after you learn to make wonderful, authentic Spanish recipes during a cooking vacation or one-day cooking class in Spain (see the links for details on what we offer). But no meal is complete without a wonderful wine pairing, which you can learn about on our Spain wine tours, but also in this quick guide to what to serve with Spanish tapas dishes.

aged cheese (such as an aged Manchego, the famous Spanish sheep’s milk cheese): serve with a Tempranillo, or another medium- to full-bodied red.

tortilla española – try a Duoro red

chorizo/jamon – salty cured meats work well with lighter or sweeter whites like Verdejo or Albariño, to complement the salty pork flavors, or with Fino sherry (read more about Spanish sherries here).

olives – the same as for chorizo/jamon, a light white or Fino

almonds – the classic pairing is with Fino

croquettes – Tempranillo or Granacha

gambas pil pil – this spicy seafood dish pairs well with a white with some sweetness, or a sweeter sherry like Amontillado

Learn about the windmills of La Mancha.

You can also explore the wonderful vermuts and sangrias on our Spain wine tours and pair them with different tapas dishes. There is almost no way to go wrong! When in doubt? Do as the Catalans, and try a Cava sparkling wine: a Cava could pair with any of these dishes!

Check out some more of our Spanish recipes for:

• Clams with Garlic
• Paella
• Spanish Tomato Bread
• Cod in Almond Sauce

By Peg Kern

Learn more about all of our culinary tours.

Find more photos, videos, food facts, and travel stories from The International Kitchen on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.