Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Clams in garlic, parsley and olive oil make a light, intensely marine plate, all brine and sea-salt with a whisper of chilli. The wine must be bone-dry, saline and unoaked, echoing the sea rather than smothering it. Avoid oak, which turns metallic against shellfish.

Pairs Perfectly

A Vermentino, Sardinia, Italy. Its saline tang and citrus edge mirror the brine of the clams almost exactly.

Pairs Well

An Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain. Atlantic-fresh and faintly salty, it is one of the world's great shellfish whites.

A Picpoul de Pinet, France. Crisp, lemony and saline, it does the job for very little and is on every shelf.

Worth Seeking Out

A Manzanilla Sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, served cold. Its coastal, salty tang is uncanny with clams.

Avoid

Oaked whites and any red with tannin, both of which clash with the delicate, briny shellfish.

Failing That

A Muscadet, France.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Italy.

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