Text: Mara de Miguel @by_marademiguel
Reading time: 5 minutes
The wines of Montilla Moriles are so versatile and modern that they allow for very interesting pairings with cuisines from all over the world, gastronomic harmonies that are not as obvious as the pairing of these fortified wines with Andalusian cuisine.
Now that exotic cuisines from other countries are so in vogue; Now that everyone seems to have become an expert in ramen, they order sushi at home and eat pizza every day… now is the great time to look for new pairings with wines from Montilla-Moriles. What’s more, you can almost go around the world using the different types of fortified wines .
Fine wine and sushi, the most desired exotic couple
We started our trip by getting on a plane and landing in Japan. Here we are going to pair the famous fish sushi with a medium of Fino. In this case, we are going to drink it with the fine Terrevuelos 7, from Lagar de los Frailes de Moriles. The saline combination of the Fino, with the sushi pieces that contain rice, a very fatty raw fish, such as butterfish, or salmon, and the texture of the nori seaweed itself will be in very good harmony.
In this case we are looking for the intensity of the flavor of the dried fruit and those penetrating aromas that the fine wine from Montilla-Moriles has to enhance the flavor of the maki piece, and we do not need to dip it in soy sauce. Wine already works the miracle.
Palo Cortado wine and Lebanese cuisine, the fashionable couple
With the next ticket in hand, another of the perfect pairings of Montilla-Moriles wines with dishes from around the world, takes us to the Middle East. We landed in Beirut, whose Lebanese cuisine is famous halfway around the world.
The proposal is simple: a palo Corta glass of Lagar Blanco , from Montilla, which is one of those wines that take away the meaning and bring back to life all the hedonism of the gods. In this case we are going to pair it with one of the country’s traditional dishes, Muhammara, a dip of roasted red peppers and nuts, which is eaten as a consistent appetizer, as if it were a salmorejo, to share with friends. , because good things are shared. We cannot forget to taste it with some crudités: raw vegetables to dip such as carrots, zucchini or celery. This pairing with Montilla-Moriles wine asks us to alternate the muhammara and then a sip of the wine.
In this case, the voluptuous and velvety mouthfeel of this Palo Corta wine will strike a perfect balance with the nigela seeds, which give it a touch of earth and a touch of umami. A controlled explosion of flavor on the diner’s palate .
Pale Cream wine and Peruvian cuisine, love between tiraditos and ceviches
Our next stop brings us to Lima, the capital of Peru, one of the most interesting cuisines in the world, where we can have some well-seasoned tiraditos and ceviches. We are going to compensate for the acidity that the lime (citrus) provides in this dish with a pale cream, which is one of the great classics of the Córdoba May Festival. This time we chose the PilyCrim brand from Bodegas Navarro . This wine with medium sweetness and freshness in the mouth will combine and complete the sensory register at an informal dinner, where the taste buds will be on the surface .
Balsamic vinegars with Italian carpaccios: nel blue ni pinto ni blu
And to give it one more twist, we’re going to Italy, to have a couple of carpaccios and sing that “Volare… oh oh!” But like Gipsy Kings. Two options: a beef carpaccio (since we are, from the Pedroches Valley) with arugula and parmesan cheese, to which we are going to add a few drops of arrope from Lagar de Los Raigones .
The sugar of this natural balsamic Pedro Ximénez grape will offset the bitterness of the arugula and close the circle with the intensity of the Parma cheese flakes, making a pairing of Montilla-Moriles wines that is pure contrast.
Another option is a zucchini carpaccio to which we are going to add a Pedro Ximénez balsamic vinegar caviar from the Córdoba brand Desferas. We will close the circle, adding some pine nuts and some pieces of blue cheese from the Villaharta area, from the Diego Plazuelo cheese factory… With this combination you will make more friends than with donets .
Amontillado wine and Thai cuisine, the star pairing with wines from Montilla-Moriles
We now move on to another exotic country if there ever was one. An earthly paradise in which it is very conducive to combining very demanding flavors. Coconut milk, cilantro, and citronella, better known as lemon grass in English, are going to put our taste buds in check and if we add the traditional wok we will see that the spectrum we have in our mouth is very wide.
The best companion for these dishes like Pad Thai or Tom Kha Kai is a good Amontillado. We are going to choose the Amontillado 1874 from Bodegas Delgado de Puente Genil, tasty and dry at the same time and full of subtleties, which will combine perfectly .
Oloroso Wine and Tex Mex Mexico, dude, there’s tomatoes here!
Having some Tacos al Pastor, so typical of Mexico, can be an authentic experience if we pair it with an Oloroso like the one from Tauromaquia, from Bodegas Gracia , in Montilla. The touch of spiciness, the freshness of the pineapple, along with the acidity of the tomato, lime and coriander, will harmonize spectacularly with this aromatic wine, which will withstand the intensity of the bite and, at the same time, suits us to cleanse the palate so we can continue eating more tacos.
Red wine with Argentine barbecues, because the classics never die
And again, in terminal 2, we go to Argentina. There, we are going to enjoy one of those classic wine pairings: a roast meat, cooked over low heat, with a red wine from Bodegas La Aurora . This is the Llanos de Palacio Roble, made in French barrels with the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tempranillo varieties and which has those memories of red fruit, those pink peppers and a polished touch of empyromatic aromas. A perfect travel companion for those Argentine meats.
Pedro Ximénez Sweet Wine with Foie, the strength of simplicity
Our last trip takes us to French lands, with an assortment of blue cheeses and a micuit of foie with some toast or some Manolín Mora regañás, the kind that makes your mouth crunch and you can’t stop eating. There is no better pairing for all those intense and delicious elements than a Pedro Ximénez Alamís 1972 wine, from Bodegas San Acacio , in Montemayor, one of the wineries that has its own winery. This black nectar combines, thanks to its density, with a smoothness in the mouth, which will make you salivate from the moment you buy the bottle.