Cockles and winkles

Cockles and winkles

Assuming cockles and winkles served cold in the seaside way, with malt vinegar and white pepper.

Cockles and winkles are salty, briny and chewy, and malt vinegar makes them sharper than most wine. The wine must be bone dry, very high in acidity and light, with a salty edge of its own. Anything soft, fruity or oaked tastes flat and sweet beside the vinegar.

Pairs Perfectly. Manzanilla, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. Pale, bone dry and salty, with a tang from the flor yeast that stands up to vinegar and mirrors the taste of the sea.

Pairs Well. Muscadet sur lie, Loire, France. Lemon, sea spray and a lean, sharp finish, a light white made for shellfish, and an everyday bottle.

Pairs Well. Txakoli, Basque Country, Spain. Made from Hondarrabi Zuri, very sharp, salty and faintly sparkling, with the acidity for vinegar.

Worth Seeking Out

Arinto from Bucelas, Portugal. Lemon and green apple on piercing acidity, a white that keeps pace with sharp dressings.

Avoid

Oaked whites, soft fruity wines and reds. Vinegar turns them flat and sweet, and tannin turns metallic with shellfish.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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