Anchovies and Grenache Gris

Anchovies are always reputed to be difficult with food but I found a great match for them over the past few days down in Collioure and Banyuls. Which of course there should be as they’re a speciality of the area.

It was Grenache Gris, a grape that used to be used to make strong sweet wines like Banyuls in the Roussillon but which is nowadays used to make some particularly interesting strong, savoury almost oily, whites. (Oily I admit, doesn’t sound great in relation to wine but it’s a texture rather than a taste thing. Think lush and viscous.)

The anchovies are served two ways - fresh as boquerones which are cured in vinegar and salted - sometimes in the same dish but the Grenache-based Roussillon whites seem to cope with both. They were also delicious with sundried tomato paste and tapenade.

There’s a good post on how to prepare your own boquerones here.