Octopus with orange wine

Orange wines - white wines that are made in a similar way to a red, leaving the juice in contact with the skins - have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, proving impressively versatile with food.

This skin contact ribolla from Slovenia called Movia Rebula we had at Peckham Bazaar, which describes itself as a ‘pan-Balkan grill’, is a case in point. It was particularly good with the grilled octopus which was served with white tarama, capers and red onion but also sailed through the rest of the menu taking the big flavours of feta, skordalia and a pizza-like pide in its stride. (Which is impressive for a 12% wine)

Coming from roughly the same part of the world as the food it was a natural partner for these eastern Mediterranean flavours but perhaps not a wine you might pick out on a list.

The extended skin contact give orange wines red wine-like tannins and grip and an appetising savouriness but they can have an almost floral freshness that makes them a great match for seafood too.

Got other ideas? Do email your favourite pairings to us at greatmatches@matchingfoodandwine.com. To subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and be eligible to enter our fabulous prize draws click here or to get notice of posts as soon as they're published click here.

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