Pairing Wine With Clams

Delicious and tasty to eat, and their preparation doesn’t require too much skill or lots of time.

In fact, this bivalve mollusk is perfect as a starter when having dinner out, or ideal to nibble in any Spanish seafront tapas bar, with your favourite Albariño in the glass.

Whether the clams are caught or bred, they have different saline qualities, and in order to pair the clams with wine you should bear in mind these characteristics. In fact, to elevate the experience to a new level, high acidity and delicate aromas of blossom and stone fruit are what you need to balance the taste of the Clams.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Clams

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	High
Tannins	Low
Body	Medium to full Bodied White, Light Reds
Tasting Notes	Citrus fruits, Peach, Apple, Blossom, Herbal, Red Fruits, Rose

Best Red Wine To Drink With Clams

Pairing seafood and red wines can be a gamble, but with the right characteristics and a little dose of experimentation, you will find the right balance between all the components. In this case, we need reds with low body, low tannins and high acidity.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is always a good idea when you think about pairing seafood and red wine. In fact, this grape variety leads to wines that vary in range from low to medium body, maintaining low or medium levels of tannins, enemies of light seafood pairing. The delicate red fruit aromas won’t overwhelm your dish.

Cinsault

Cinsault is an interesting red grape variety which is mainly found in France, especially in the zone of Rhone and Provence. Used for blends and also to make rosé wines. These are delicate and have fresh aromas of herbs and red fruits maintaining low levels of tannins as well.

Best White Wine To Drink With Clams

White wine and seafood are almost always a winning combination. But what kind of white wine would best suit our fresh Clams?

Verdicchio

Pairing fresh mussels with this indigenous grape of Marche region in Central Italy, will literally turn your taste buds on! High acidity, and the fresh aromas of stone fruit, apple, fresh cut grass and citrus fruits lead you to a satisfactory food and wine union. Its slightly bitter aftertaste will keep you asking for more!

Chardonnay

Versatile and easy to cultivate and found in almost every country of the world. For our pairing we choose the lightest version of the Chardonnay, with minimum oak intervention, maintaining an agile sip, with vibrant acidity that allows us to not overwhelm the Clams.

Verdejo

This is the option when you are literally in front of the sea with a tapa of Clams, and you want something light, refreshing and easy drinking. Generally, its high acidity and low levels of alcohol, enable this wine to be the surfer’s favourite.

Pairing Wine With Clams Prepared Different Ways

Wine With Spaghetti & Clams

Vermentino

Traditional Summer Italian dish. Easy to prepare, but very tasty, synonymous with special summer days. Spaghetti (or other small pasta size would be good), Garlic, Extra virgin olive oil, and parsley (some may add pepper and/or chili, but that’s optional) are the ingredients. We choose a Vermentino to pair with, thanks to its high acidity, aromas of stone fruits and salty characteristics, creating a perfect balance with all the ingredients.

Wine With Sailor’s Clams

Albariño

This amazing dish came from the Northern regions of Spain. Usually people prepare this over the Christmas period. Here, the clams are cooked in white wine with garlic, onions and parsley (some may add saffron as well); delicious and easy to make.

As the claims have to be cooked with white wine, here we choose an Albariño to act in both roles. Natural high acidity and salinity make this wine a must for pairing with Sailor’s Clams.