Smoked almonds

Smoked almonds

Smoked almonds are salt, fat, toasted nut and wood smoke, and they want a dry wine with enough acidity for the salt and a nutty or yeasty character to meet the roast. Firm tannin and smoke together taste bitter. Sweet, fruity wines sit awkwardly beside something so savoury.

Pairs Perfectly. Fino Sherry, Jerez, Spain. Bone dry, tangy and nutty from ageing under a layer of yeast, it matches the toasted almond directly and its sharpness answers the salt. It is the drink these nuts are served with in Andalucia, and a bottle costs little.

Pairs Well. Dry Madeira in its Sercial style, Portugal. Searing acidity, walnut and a faint smokiness from long, warm ageing.

Pairs Well. Champagne in its Blanc de Noirs style, France. Made from black grapes, fuller and toastier than most Champagne, with bubbles that scrub away fat and salt.

Worth Seeking Out

Vin Jaune from the Jura, France. Aged for years under yeast in a partly filled barrel, it smells of walnut and curry spice and has the tang to meet salted, smoked nuts.

Avoid

Tannic reds and sweet, fruity wines. Smoke and tannin together turn bitter, and sweet fruit clashes with salt and smoke.

Failing That

A Manzanilla, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain.

If All Else Fails

Prosecco, Veneto.

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