Which wines to pair with calamari/squid

Calamari or squid is often served as a starter or appetiser with other dishes so you need to bear that in mind when you’re choosing a wine to pair with it. It also depends on the way you prepare it.

Except when it's cooked with red wine I'd say that almost any crisp citrussy white would work, sauvignon blanc being the obvious option but plenty of French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese whites would work too: Picpoul, albarino, Rueda, vinho verde - squid is really white wine-friendly.

Fried calamari or chipirones

Fried food is great with anything fizzy so a sparkling wine such as cava or a crémant would be perfect. Or if it’s part of a selection of Greek mezze, a crisp citrussy white like Assyrtiko. Chilled manzanilla sherry would also be brilliant especially with Spanish-style chipirones (baby squid).

Salt and pepper squid

A popular dish in Chinese restaurants. It may be more or less spicy but a dry riesling should work really well or, if it includes other Asian flavours as in this dish of this crispy chilli lime squid with edamame bean and coriander salad - maybe a pinot gris.

Chargrilled squid

Often squid is cooked on the grill or over an open fire which makes the dish more robust. A slightly richer white such as a good albarino can handle that. A Provençal rosé - especially a Bandol rosé - would also be great.

Braised squid with red wine

A chef friend of mine used to cook a dish of squid with red wine, orange and fennel which definitely made it a red wine rather than a white wine dish. A juicy Spanish red such as Bobal or a young rioja would work really well

Risotto nero, squid ink linguini and other dishes with squid ink

Squid ink adds a savoury, slightly saline boost to a dish but basically it’s a case of the same type of crisp dry white. Something like a Greco di Tufo or a Rueda as in this pairing from a Spanish holiday a couple of years ago. Albarino should work well too as you can see from this pairing with arroz negro.

And if you want to try cooking squid for yourself try this delicious recipe for Barbequed brochette of prawns, squid and courgette with sauce vierge.

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Pairing wine and artichokes (updated)

Artichokes are frequently described as a “wine-killer,” but is that reputation deserved? While it’s true that artichokes can make dry white wines taste unexpectedly sweet, the problem is somewhat exaggerated.

As with other ingredients the key to finding a good pairing is looking at how artichokes are prepared and served.

The hardest way is the classic serving of boiled artichokes with a vinaigrette which defeats most wines other than very dry white wines and rosés. (Fino and manzanilla sherry are much better)

But these days artichokes are prepared in many other ways - served raw or grilled, as a pizza topping or with other ingredients such as lamb or Mediterranean vegetables. Which means you can go for wines you might not expect.

Take, for example, the innovative approach of Simi Winery in California. They found that chargrilling artichokes and serving them with garlic mayonnaise made for a perfect match with their Sauvignon Blanc. This technique, along with serving artichokes raw or paired with rare meats, can help mitigate the sweetening effect that artichokes often have on wine. it would also go with this artichoke and preserved lemon dip.

In Venice and across northern Italy, artichokes are often incorporated into creamy risottos, which pair beautifully with wines like Soave or Bianco di Custoza and, further south, with Trebbiano as I discovered from this pairing at a spectacular artichoke dinner at Bocca di Lupo in London. 

Similarly a palate coating ingredient such as olive oil, butter or an egg or butter-based sauce such as hollandaise will make an artichoke-based pairing easier. You basically play to the sauce rather than the artichoke.

If you’re dressing them with an oil-based dressing adding a little finely grated lemon peel seems to help as does wine-friendly grated parmesan or parmesan shavings or even sheep cheese as in this salad of raw artichoke and Berkswell cheese which went with a crisp citrussy white.  I’d serve a similar wine with an artichoke-topped pizza.

Strong dry rosés such as Tavel are also a good match for braised artichokes as are some orange wines as you can see from this pairing with braised cuttlefish and artichokes.

Can you ever pair red wine with artichokes? 

If artichokes and white wine are a tricky pairing, red wine is surely even more so?

Not always! About 12 or so years ago my late husband who was cooking served up that most difficult of dishes - artichokes vinaigrette (boiled artichokes with vinaigrette) and cracked open a bottle of red wine.

I thought he was mad but astonishingly the pairing worked.

The wine was a full-bodied (14%) Bordeaux blend called Quela* from a producer called Klinec in Brda, Slovenia. It was a biodynamic wine, made with indigenous yeasts from organic grapes (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) and aged for two years in cherry casks with the minimum of added sulphur (25mg). It had a really bright fruit character (bitter cherry and wild bramble) and must have been totally dry as neither the artichoke or the vinaigrette had any impact on it at all. It just stayed intense and vivid.

Would it work with other wines, other Bordeaux blends? Maybe not younger ones - this bottle was from the 2007 vintage - but if you were serving artichokes with lamb which is common, absolutely!

Maybe natural wines - and Cabernet Franc in particular - are the answer - provided they’re to your taste, of course. 

By the way, for what it’s worth, it was a leaf day!

Anyone else had success with red wine and artichokes?

Wine and Appetizer Pairings: a quick guide

The best wine to pair with appetizers and hors d’oeuvres largely depends on whether they precede a meal, as is traditional, or - as is more common these days - actually make up the meal itself, says regular contributor Monica Shaw. After all, we all seem to enjoy grazing these days.

The challenge is that people often serve multiple appetizers at once, each with contrasting flavours and a wide variety: cold, hot, rich, fresh, spicy, and often quite salty. The wines you choose should be as palate-cleansing as they are quaffable. Chances are, you’re entertaining, so you’ll want to pick wines that all your guests will enjoy.

In this post I’m sharing tips on crowd-pleasing wines that tend to pair well with all manner of appetizers, from dips and chicken wings to cheese boards and nachos. I’ll also cover some of the most popular appetizers and the wines that go best with them. 

The wine styles to look for with appetizers:

Sparkling wine

A good choice if the appetizers are performing their traditional role as pre-meal nibbles - particularly good with anything crisp, crunchy or deep-fried. Prosecco will be most people’s favourite these days though there are many other good sparkling wines including cava, crémant and, of course champagne.

White wine

Think fresh, unoaked whites rather than a rich white like chardonnay which is better with a meal. Sauvignon blanc is generally popular but a crisp Italian white like pinot grigio or Gavi generally go down well too especially with Italian antipasti. And although many people think they don’t like riesling in practice they generally do, especially with spicy snacks. If you enjoy it, go for it!

Red wines

More challenging as although many people like full-bodied reds like cabernet sauvignon and shiraz they can be a bit heavy at the start of the evening. Think more in terms of medium-bodied reds like pinot noir and merlot and lighter styles of zinfandel.

Rosé

A great option and not just for summer. Dy rosés from Provence and elsewhere in Southern France are hugely versatile and can stand up to big flavours. A good choice for charcuterie, cheese and tapas.

Sherry

Not for everyone but if you’re into tapas you can’t beat a chilled fino or manzanilla sherry. I’d offer the choice of one or two other wines - either white, rosé or red - too though

Wine pairings for popular appetizers

If you are only serving one appetizer here’s the type of wine to look for:

Artichoke and spinach dip
Artichokes are tricky and can make wine seem sweeter than it is so make sure your wine is bone dry. Italian whites such as pinot grigio work well or try a chilled fino sherry.

Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Prosecco, rosé, or an off-dry riesling.

French Onion Dip
Not only oniony but creamy too. A citrussy sauvignon works well or try a fresh, young chenin blanc

Deviled Eggs 
Go for a drier style of prosecco or a Gavi de Gavi.

Pigs in blankets
Bread encased hot-dogs, a Super Bowl Party classic which may steer you towards a beer. Wine-wise I’d be inclined to go for a light, fruity pinot noir.

Fried pickles
Pickles need something light, crisp, and fruity to handle the acidity. A sharply flavoured white like a picpoul or pinot grigio should do the trick. Or a dry riesling.

Cheese ball
A soft juicy red like a merlot or a sauvignon blanc both work well

Bruschetta and crostini
The classic bruschetta is topped with fresh tomatoes with which you could drink a dry Italian white like pinot grigio or a red like Chianti. Richer toppings like chicken livers are better with a red like a Chianti or Barbera.

Nachos
Again natural beer food but given the melty cheese I’d go for a medium-bodied fruity red rather than a white if you fancy a glass of vino. Merlot or zinfandel would both hit the spot.

Antipasti
With Italian style antipasti I’d generally choose a dry Italian white like a pinot grigio or verdicchio but dry Provençal-style rosé also works really well. As do light Italian reds like Valpolicella, Teroldego and Refosco particularly if your antipasti predominantly consists of cold meats.

Smoked salmon
Champagne (or other champagne-like sparkling wine) is the classic pairing but there are many other options including sauvignon blanc as you can see from this post.

Garlic Cheesy Tear and Share Bread
What’s not to like about this indulgent snack? Garlic goes really well with sauvignon blanc so you can happily serve that or a juicy red like zinfandel for that matter. And personally I wouldn’t be averse to a glass of sparkling wine.

You might also find these posts useful:

• What wine to pair with canapés and other party food
• The best food pairings for rosé
• What sort of food to pair with prosecco?
• Best food pairings with sauvignon blanc
• Wine and Cheese Pairing for Beginners
• 6 of the best Spanish Wines to pair with Tapas

Regular contributor Monica Shaw is the author of eatsleepwild.com and writersresidence.com.

4 good wines to pair with red mullet

Red mullet or rouget can be a bit of a challenge to pair with wine as it is often accompanied by a rich sauce made from the liver or with punchy accompaniments such as tapenade, olives or saffron

As this guide remarks it tastes remarkably of shellfish (grilled or roast rather than raw) so take account of that in your wine choice. Above all it’s a Mediterranean fish so think in terms of the wine producing countries around the Med.

Her’s what I’d go for:

Strong dry rosé

The fashionable pale pink Provençal rosés will do but I’d go for something a bit stronger and darker from the Rhône or Languedoc. Bandol rosé would be perfect - or a Tavel.

White Côtes-du-Rhône and other white Rhône blends

White Rhône blends have a savouriness that works really well with mullet. Particularly if they are dominated by Marsanne as you can see from this post

Medium bodied (but not too fruity) southern French, Spanish or Italian reds

Something simple like a Costières de Nîmes. Victoria Moore suggests an Etna red in her Wine Dine Dictionary which I think would work really well

Chilled fino sherry

My go to for many tricky matches and a winner here, especially if it's accompanied by tapenade or olives.

I also have a hunch - as yet unverified - that orange or lighter skin contact wines would work, having similar tannins to a red. Worth a try anyway.

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