A REFRESHING MATCH
The arrival of long summery days fills us with the urge to relax in the sun, enjoy the fresh air and have fun outdoors. Consciously or not, this leads to a shift in our eating habits, and we seek out lighter, more refreshing fare. The summer heat, however, isn't at odds with great food, and so we've decided to put together a list of cold dishes and a few recommendations on wines that make for a good match.
Let's start with some simply prepared raw seafood. Fresh oysters, perhaps with a drizzle of citrus juice, appreciate the crispness of a sparkling wine with good acidity, but a dry white would also do nicely. Make sure it isn't excessively aromatic so as to not overpower the flavor of the oysters. The Penedès region, for example, champions the pairing of oysters and Xarel·lo, whereas Delta del Ebro ostrós find a local match in a young, fresh Garnacha Blanca from Terra Alta.
The same wine styles are also a good choice for cooked shellfish served cold, including shrimp, prawns and clams. That being said, an Albariñoor a mouthfilling Verdejo would also be lovely. With thicker, fleshier seafood like spiny lobster or lobster, we could opt for a salad with a dried fruit vinaigrette and open a Chardonnay that has seen a bit of oak.
This is also the season of cold soups: salmorejo, gazpacho and ajoblanco. In theory the acidic ingredients make for a tricky pairing, but an ajoblanco with curried prawns combines nicely with a Fino or Manzanilla sherry from Sanlúcar. While the almond nuances provide an affinity, the key element here is sotolon, an aromatic molecule prevalent in curry and sherries, as well as in wines from the French Jura region or whites that have aged for a long time.
When it comes to cold vegetable soups, we have the option of a slightly sweet bubbly. Both a cold zucchini cream with slivers of foie and a traditional vichyssoise served with scallops encounter a fascinating contrast in an off-dry cava. Likewise, the traditional combination of caviar and vodka might induce too much heat in the summertime, making a fresh sparkling wine with a touch of sugar (Brut) an excellent alternative.
Rosé wines also move center stage during the warm months of the year: an intense, luscious rosé with anchovies and roasted escalivada vegetables or a pale, delicate rosé with Mediterranean mussels in a mild mariniere sauce are two sublime combinations for a seaside terrace evening.
And let's not forget the reds. We might not be in the mood for full-bodied, structured, powerful reds from warm climate regions, but light reds with good acidity, lots of fruit and low tannins are a great match for a salad with beef tongue confit and a sweet-and-sour red fruit vinaigrette, especially when the wine is served slightly cooler than normal.
Before we go, keep in mind that hot days tend to make us thirstier, but that is what water is for—wine should be enjoyed in moderation. In the words of William Shakespeare: