{"id":12944,"date":"2025-05-26T13:02:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesoundofthecosta.com\/?p=12944"},"modified":"2025-05-26T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:02:23","slug":"tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesoundofthecosta.com\/en\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\/","title":{"rendered":"Tapas and wine: the perfect pairing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes you don\u2019t quite know why something works \u2014 you just feel it. That\u2019s 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\u2019s on the table and what\u2019s poured beside it. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve read my piece on Spanish wines from the Costa Blanca<\/a>, you\u2019ll know this is a bit of a sweet spot<\/em> for me. But add tapas to the mix\u2026? Then it really comes alive. And nowhere does it all feel as effortless as it does here, on the Costa Blanca.<\/p>\n

Where do you start?<\/h4>\n

With boquerones<\/em>, of course. White anchovies marinated in vinegar \u2014 just the right amount of tang \u2014 perfect with a chilled glass of verdejo<\/em> or a light cava<\/em>. Or how about pimientos de padr\u00f3n<\/em>, blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse sea salt? That calls for something crisp, something white, something mineral. <\/p>\n

Then it gets deeper: alb\u00f3ndigas<\/em> in tomato sauce? I\u2019ll take a young tempranillo<\/em> with that. Chorizo a la sidra<\/em>? A bold garnacha<\/em>. Pata negra<\/em>? That calls for a crianza<\/em> with a bit of age behind it. Tapas and wine aren\u2019t about what\u2019s on the menu \u2014 they\u2019re about the moment. <\/p>\n

What you learn when you stay seated<\/h4>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Tapas teach you to listen to your taste buds. Wine teaches you not to overthink \u2014 just to pair and enjoy. At a bar in D\u00e9nia, under a parasol in J\u00e1vea, or at a little table on a street corner in Altea. <\/p>\n

Or who knows \u2014 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\u2026 for another story. <\/p>\n

And at home?<\/h4>\n

Tapas and wine aren\u2019t a restaurant formula. They\u2019re an excuse to share. To combine different flavours without needing to make anything elaborate. <\/p>\n

So open that bottle. Set out six little bites. And raise a glass to an evening that didn\u2019t need to be planned. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes you don\u2019t quite know why something works \u2014 you just feel it. That\u2019s 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\u2019s on the table and what\u2019s poured beside it. If you\u2019ve ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":12795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[176],"tags":[188,1527,1918,1916,1917,1919],"class_list":["post-12944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gusto-en","tag-costa-blanca-en","tag-gusto-en","tag-spanish-flavours","tag-tapas-and-wine-pairing","tag-wine-and-food-pairing","tag-wine-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nTapas and wine: the perfect pairing - The Sound Of The Costa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pairing tapas and wine? 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Wouter explains why some flavours just work \u2014 and how to discover it for yourself, glass by glass.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thesoundofthecosta.com\/en\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Sound Of The Costa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-26T11:02:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thesoundofthecosta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tapas-en-wijn.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"933\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Wouter van der Laan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Wouter van der Laan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Wouter van der Laan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7e68a041934a61e0e5094dc919ca4708\"},\"headline\":\"Tapas and wine: the perfect pairing\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-26T11:02:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":407,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/tapas-en-wijn.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"costa blanca\",\"gusto\",\"Spanish flavours\",\"tapas and wine pairing\",\"wine and food pairing\",\"wine recommendations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Gusto\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tapas and wine: the perfect pairing - The Sound Of The Costa\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/en\\\/tapas-and-wine-the-perfect-pairing\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thesoundofthecosta.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/04\\\/tapas-en-wijn.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-26T11:02:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pairing tapas and wine? 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