Pimientos de Padrón

Pimientos de Padrón

Padrón peppers are blistered in hot oil and scattered with sea salt, sweet and grassy with a charred edge and the odd fiery one, so the wine wants green-toned acidity to bridge the pepper, salinity for the salt and real freshness. A crisp green white is the mark. Avoid oak and tannin.

Pairs Perfectly

A Verdejo, Rueda, Spain. Green and high in acid, it bridges the grassy pepper directly and meets the sea salt, and it costs very little.

Pairs Well

A Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand. Zesty and herbaceous, it echoes the green pepper and keeps everything bright.

A Txakoli, Basque Country, Spain. Saline, faintly spritzy and bone-dry, the classic Basque pour for blistered peppers.

Avoid

Oaked whites and tannic reds, which clash with the green freshness and the char.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, France.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Italy.

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