Tapas and wine: the perfect pairing

Sometimes you don’t quite know why something works — you just feel it. That’s tapas and wine. Not a technique, but a feeling. A balance between small plates and bold flavours, between fresh and rich, salty and acidic, between what’s on the table and what’s poured beside it.

If you’ve read my piece on Spanish wines from the Costa Blanca, you’ll know this is a bit of a sweet spot for me. But add tapas to the mix…? Then it really comes alive. And nowhere does it all feel as effortless as it does here, on the Costa Blanca.

Where do you start?

With boquerones, of course. White anchovies marinated in vinegar — just the right amount of tang — perfect with a chilled glass of verdejo or a light cava. Or how about pimientos de padrón, blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse sea salt? That calls for something crisp, something white, something mineral.

Then it gets deeper: albóndigas in tomato sauce? I’ll take a young tempranillo with that. Chorizo a la sidra? A bold garnacha. Pata negra? That calls for a crianza with a bit of age behind it. Tapas and wine aren’t about what’s on the menu — they’re about the moment.

What you learn when you stay seated

You come for one glass. You stay for the second. And then, suddenly, you notice how a slice of manchego softens just slightly next to that viura. How anchovies lose their edge with a sip of cava. How the garlic from your gambas draws out the fruit notes in that rosado.

Tapas teach you to listen to your taste buds. Wine teaches you not to overthink — just to pair and enjoy. At a bar in Dénia, under a parasol in Jávea, or at a little table on a street corner in Altea.

Or who knows — that wine bar in Moraira I wandered into recently, where the owner poured me a glass that matched my tortilla perfectly, without even asking. I might just go back soon… for another story.

And at home?

Tapas and wine aren’t a restaurant formula. They’re an excuse to share. To combine different flavours without needing to make anything elaborate.

So open that bottle. Set out six little bites. And raise a glass to an evening that didn’t need to be planned.