Classic food-wine combinations are classic for a reason. They are delicious, especially during the holidays. However, that same combination can taste very different at home. Don’t forget that peace of mind and atmosphere in the holiday destination play an important role. With a good wine alternative, you can bring back that holiday feeling together with one or more dishes that you have previously enjoyed in Spain, France, Italy or Portugal.
Combinations with Spanish tapas
The classic: Cedro, Manzanilla, Dry, Spain
This is a golden yellow, heavily tearing wine, characterized by a unique scent of almonds, slightly salty with a very fresh taste of almonds and citrus. The wine is mineral refined and long. Taste-inducing.
The Manzanilla is a perfect aperitif but also good in combination with shellfish and crustaceans, anchovies, artichokes, green asparagus, Spanish sweet ham (jamon liberico), mussels, olives, omelets, oysters, shrimps, paella, salted nuts, sushi and the Dutch new herring.
Tasty combination: Segura Viudas, Cava Brut Reserva, Penedes, Spain
A light yellow, sparkling color with persistent bubbles. Real reserva nose with some wood complexity and creamy. Also on the palate the necessary wood tones, with citrus fruit, a nice, soft, creamy mousse and a lot of length. This wine is an excellent aperitif, but also delicious with crustaceans and shellfish and light fish dishes from the grill.
Also tasty: Vina Bajoz, Tinta de Toro, Joven, Spain 2007
Bold bright red color. Spicy bouquet with lots of black fruit in the background. Strong black fruit flavor (ripe berries) and black pepper. No wood influence. Joven style (without too much wood, really made for fruit and freshness). Delicious with everything from the barbecue, tapas and meal salads.
For the gourmand: the Italian white wine Col di Sotto Pinot Grigio / Garganega 2008/2009 IGT Veneto
An elegant wine created from a combination of two grapes, namely:
- the Pinot Grigio, which provides elegance;
- the Garganega that provides dusting fruit.
The Col di Sotto Pinot Grigio is an accessible, fresh wine with beautiful acidity. Delicious with fish, white meat and poultry, but also tasty with light pasta dishes and salads. It can also be enjoyed as a delicious aperitif.
Combinations with grilled sardines
The Classic: Dionisos, Abarino, Rias Baixas, Spain, 2008
This wine has a light yellow, crystal clear color. Ripe nose with impressions of yellow and green plums, golden delicious apples and garden herbs. It is pre-eminently a meal wine that combines body with freshness. It has tropical white fruit and gooseberry and is very slightly petillant. Mineral final. Not to be missed with a steaming pan of mussels, grilled sardines or fried trout.
Tasty: Paarl Heights, Chenin Blanc, Paarl, South Africa, 2008
Bright in color, straw yellow, shiny green. With a ripe perfume of golden delicious, peach blossom and clover honey. Slightly floral. Also round and ripe in the taste with white peach and candied apricot, a beautiful freshness and length. For with fried fish, hearty meal salads, creamy pastas and poultry.
Also tasty: Arnaldo-Caprai, Anima Umbra, Grechetto IGT, Umbria, Italy, 2008
A straw yellow, intensely and nervously tearing wine. Exotic in scent with candied pineapple, apple and white peach, slightly spicy. Also in the taste modest white fruit, fresh acidity, dry in style with apple, peach, melon and a hint of ginger.
Combinations at Vitello tonnato
Classic: Cortechiara, Bardolino Chiaretto DOC, Italy, 2008
Light pink, transparent color. Very creamy scent reminiscent of fruit curd, full of raspberries, strawberries and cherries. Very pure wine. Fresh and accessible in the taste. Ideally suited as an aperitif, but also an excellent accompaniment to Mediterranean dishes such as grilled prawns with garlic, langoustines, paella and of course vitello tonnato.
Delicious: Col di Sotto Primitivo Salento 2008 IGT Veneto
A deep ruby red wine with purple hues and an intense and perfumed bouquet with a rich diversity of ripe fruit. A pleasant, harmonious wine with a velvety taste. The wine is 100% Primitivo. It is one of the oldest primal grape varieties. Delicious with lamb chops, pasta dishes and spicy cheeses. Also suitable as an aperitif, especially in combination with savory snacks.
Tasty: Josselin, Viognier, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France, 2007
Straw yellow bright color that betrays the sunshine of the Languedoc. The fragrance is scented with rhubarb, lychee and ripe quince. Very fresh and pure with notes of lychee and ginger in the taste. Full, long and round, without being heavy. Ideal with spicy salads, pepper risotto with seafood. Also delicious with starters a la vitello tonnato.
Also tasty: Remoissenet Pere et Fils, Mercurey Clos Fortoul, France, 2005
A light red, bright color, purple-red. Youthful and fresh with hints of red berries and red cherries. Then a fresh taste with ripe tannins, spicy red fruit with plums, raspberries and ripe black cherries. Drink this wine with a steak from the grill with fries and salad or with a spring chicken from the oven with bacon and mushrooms, Wiener schnitzel with lime and of course with vitello tonnato.
Combinations with Creme brulee
Classic: Muscat de Beaume de Venises Tradition, France, NV
Light yellow, sparkling color. Aromatic nose with grapes, spring blossom and peonies. Also floral and fruity in the taste with tropical fruits such as pineapple, lychees and a touch of ginger. Fortified wine that is sweet yet combines well with both starters and desserts.
Tasty: Santa Alicia, Late Harvest, Muscatel, Limari Valley, Chile, 2007
Golden-yellow in color, tearing heavily. Inviting bouquet of tropical fruits with white peach, pineapple, papaya and melon. Also a hint of honey and vanilla. Full, very sweet taste, viscous in style, with a floral touch, honey and tropical fruit.
Also tasty: Chateau Jolys, Ac Jurancon, France, 2007
Straw-yellow color, very watery. Restrained bouquet of citrus fruit, apples, melon, pear, honey and slightly floral. Sweet in taste, but with balanced acids and a recognizable hint of honey in the taste. Combine this wine with creme brulee, peach sorbet and fruit flans.