King prawns, grilled

King prawns, grilled

Assuming whole king prawns in the shell, grilled or charred over high heat, with garlic, a little chilli and lemon.

Shellfish and oak throw a metallic edge between them, so a barrel aged white is out before anything else is considered. The lemon sets an acid floor the wine must clear, the char wants a wine with some savoury depth rather than pure fruit, and the chilli means high alcohol will make the heat sting rather than settle.

Pairs Perfectly. Cava, Penedès, Spain. Cava earns this on two counts at once: the bubbles physically disperse chilli heat in a way still wine cannot, and its lean, biscuity, faintly saline character is the regional answer to grilled shellfish along that coast. Low in alcohol, unoaked and sharp, it does every job this plate asks.

Pairs Well. Verdicchio, Marche, Italy. Lemon and green apple with a bitter almond twist and a fennel lift, grown on the Adriatic where prawns go straight from boat to grill. Unoaked and properly structured.

Pairs Well. Dry Riesling from Clare Valley, South Australia. Pure lime and wet stone with searing acidity and no barrel at all. Lime against charred prawn and lemon is a direct hit.

Worth Seeking Out

Carricante from Etna, Italy. Grown on volcanic slopes at altitude, flinty and saline with a lemon sharpness that comes from the mountain rather than the sun. Barely known outside Sicily and a genuinely thrilling shellfish wine.

Avoid

Oaked whites of any kind. The barrel reacts with the shellfish to leave a metallic taste, and it smothers the char at the same time.

Failing That

An Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain.

If All Else Fails

Picpoul de Pinet.

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