Which wine to choose to accompany your paella?
Have you ever thought about the perfect pairing between paella, a traditional Spanish dish par excellence, and a good wine to enhance the flavors? Do not search anymore ! Here is our expert advice for a successful food and wine pairing also for this emblematic specialty so dear to our summers.
Serve your paella like a chef
Paella is a typically Valencian dish that comes in several versions depending on the ingredients. The main elements of this dish are rice, saffron and olive oil. Depending on the region and the recipes, we also find chicken, seafood, chorizo or even vegetables.
It is a festive dish, a favorite dish at village festivals and special occasions during the summer season. It nonetheless remains a very popular and colorful dish. To have a successful festive moment, you must not forget to choose the right wine. The one that will pair perfectly with your dish and enhance its flavors.
A wine for every paella
To accompany paella, it is important to take into account the ingredients used in order to choose the ideal wine. No offense to purists, paella can be cooked with several types of meat or seafood. Here are some suggestions:
- Seafood paella: opt for a dry white wine like chardonnay or a fruity rosé (Tavel, Côtes de Provence). You can find, for example, a Viognier and a Malborough in our Les Grands Vins du Monde box . A unique opportunity to discover these wines which are vinified on the other side of the world, with unique exotic aromas!
- Chicken paella: choose a light red wine with fruity notes such as Chinon or Beaujolais. The latter is a very pleasant and light wine that can be found at very affordable prices at all wine merchants! It is a very good choice to accompany a poultry dish.
- Mixed paella (meat and seafood): prefer a full-bodied rosé wine like a Bandol or a Languedoc. It will bring both taste and lightness to pair delicately with this type of paella.
The art of pairing wine and paella
The pairing between paella and wine will also depend on your personal taste. Don’t hesitate to experiment with wines with different characters to find the ideal combination. A good opportunity to educate your palate and discover new wines with Flakon, thanks to our bottle format !
Here are some tips for pairing wine and paella well:
- Balance the flavors : if your paella is rich in spices, choose a fresh, light wine to add finesse.
- Take acidity into account : a wine with moderate acidity will be more suited to spicy dishes like paella.
The perfect wines for paella
A successful pairing between paella and wine is based on two key elements: the structure of the wine (tannins, body) and its acidity. To highlight the flavors of the paella, choose a wine that has a medium structure and moderate acidity.
Red, white or rosé? The perfect wine choice
If, however, you prefer to choose your wine according to your tastes or those of your guests, here is our advice to guide you towards suitable grape varieties. Thus, the choice of the type of wine will mainly depend on the ingredients used in the paella:
- Red wine : opt for light reds, such as Beaujolais, Chinon or Corbières.
- White wine : favor dry and aromatic whites such as Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc or even Sauvignon Blanc.
- Rosé : choose a fruity and generous rosé like Tavel, Côtes de Provence or even a Bandol.
Our advice for serving wine optimally
Serving wine is an art in its own right. You have to master various aspects such as the temperature, the choice of glasses or even how to decant it. It is not possible to detail the art of tasting in a few lines, but here are some key tips to keep in mind.
The right glass for the right wine
Use glasses adapted to the type of wine chosen: wide and rounded glasses for reds, narrower and tall glasses for whites, and flutes for rosés. In addition to better keeping the temperature and the bubbles when this is the case, you will be able to insidiously show off your oenological knowledge and its subtleties.
The essentials for serving wine
For a successful tasting, think about accessories such as a corkscrew , a wine aerator , an ice bucket (for white and rosé wines) and of course, beautiful carafes to elegantly present your wines.
Serve wine like a pro
Be sure to serve the wine at the ideal temperature (16-18°C for reds, 10-12°C for whites and 8-10°C for rosés) and don't forget to decant young wines to optimize their aromatic expression. If you have purchased a wine that is out of the ordinary , do not hesitate to seek advice from the sommelier who sold it to you to find out how to prepare it.
To summarize, the perfect pairing between paella and wine will depend on several factors such as the ingredients used in the recipe, the acidity and structure of the wine, and your personal preferences.
