Spanish Wine: Food and Restaurants

Although personal taste is the ultimate deciding factor when attempting to pair food with an appropriate wine, in this section you can find some general rules of thumb to help you in choosing which wine you would like to accompany which kind of food while eating out in Madrid. Even if you are enjoying "fine dining" where they will have a someiller, or some equivalent, available to help you choose-you should have some general knowledge about which type of wine you are looking to enjoy with what kind of food.

• Light White Wines: (found in the regions of Penedès, Rioja, Txakoli, La Mancha,Valdepeñas): Poached, grilled, or barbequed fish (basically as long as there is very little seasoning), cold cuts, and cooked crustaceans.
• Whites with body: (Rías Baixas, Rueda, Costers del Segre): Fish with more spice and stronger flavor like grilled crustaceans and shellfish.
• Whites aged in wood: (Penedès, Navarra, Somontano, Rioja, Costers del Segre): Fish and seafood with an even stronger flavor and spice, marinated and smoked fish or chicken dishes.
• Rosados: (Navarra, Valencia, Rioja, Ribera del Duero): Blue fish, paella mixta, meat, rice, chicken, pasta dishes are all fine with this wine if you prefer these lighter, fruitier tasting wines.
• Young reds: (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Jumilla, La Mancha, Valdepeñas, Alicante): Roast chicken, beef, or lamb dishes, also pork, various meat stews, and short or medium cured cheeses are tasty choices with these wines.
• Mature reds: (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Penedès, Priorato, Somontano, Navarra): Red meats, roasted or grilled larger game such as deer, or wild boar. Also various types of feathered game such as woodcock, or wood pigeon or anything with a complex sauce.
• Sparkling wines: (Cava): Generally any type of seafood is tasty with this selection as are aperitifs and canapés.
• Finos and Manzanillas: (Jerez, Montilla-Moriles): Battered, fried, or salty foods are best with this dry and sometimes pleasantly bitter selection of wine. You might want to try salted fish, cooked prawns, lobster, or any of the popular ham and Iberian hams.
• Sweet whites: (Rioja, Alicante, Toro, Valencia, Navarra): Various fruits and blue cheese are nice with these wines.
• Pedro Ximénez and sweet olorosos (Jerez, Montilla-Moriles, Málaga): Try blue cheeses, fruits, ice-creams, and pastries.

Here is a list of some restaurants known for both their selection of wines and food in Madrid. You can try these out or there are also tons more to try by visiting the restaurant listings in the gastronomy section of WebMadrid. For a shortcut click here.

*El Olivo* General Gallegos, 1
Tel: 91 359 15 35
Metro: Cuzco L10
Wine cellar: More than 160 labels of selected table wines from Spain and France; 90 different sherries and a selection of 20 of the best brandies from Jerez.

*Viridiana* Juan de Mena, 14
Tel: 91 531 52 22
Metro: Banco de España L2
Wine cellar: Rated as one of the world's best cellars! Here you will find some 500 different labels from Spain and all over the world.

*El Quinto Vino* Hernani, 48
Tel: 91 553 6600
Metro: Cuatro Caminos L1, L2, L6
Wine cellar: An excellent selection of more than 300 wines. With a large variety of styles, regions and prices. Small place, pleasant atmosphere, and always crowded with people having a great time. Not all that fancy, but if you're in it for great food and a nice price--this is your place to be. Call ahead for reservations.

*Dantxari* Ventura Rordíguez, 8
Plaza España
Tel: 91 542 35 24
Fax: 91 547 40 29
Wine cellar: Nice selection from the best of Spanish wine. Excellent food and service. Basque cuisine reigns supreme producing beautifully prepared and presented dishes. Medium price, major credit cards accepted.

To return to any section click on the links below:

• Introduction
• Types
• Classification Levels
• Grapes
• Year