Perfect Your Holiday Pairings
This holiday season, we are excited to share pairing ideas from Ribera del Duero and Rueda, Spain’s most prestigious regions for red & white wines!
It’s nearly impossible to beat the experience of a spot-on food and wine pairing. A sip, a bite, a sip, and with each, sheer bliss. Some pairings are like that – just magical. The key to the perfect match is obvious: it’s about what you open and what you serve. For those wines, look no further than Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero and Verdejo from Rueda.
Below you’ll learn a few fast facts on each region and find some tasty pairing ideas to experiment with throughout the holiday season. Cheers!
Cozy Up with Rueda Verdejo This Winter Fun Facts and Pairing Ideas
- Verdejo from Rueda is the #1 consumed white wine amongst Spaniards and arguably the world’s next great white wine!
- Sustainable Before it was Fashionable: Rueda has an innovative tradition of sustainable practices dating back decades, long before the rest of the world began adopting rotational viticulture, organics and biodynamic methods.
- Aged Elegance: Known for its bright acidity, lime, grapefruit, melon, apple and herb notes, Rueda’s Verdejo not only produces youthful, crisp white wines (Joven) but also bottlings meant to age beautifully. Lees-Aged and Oak-Aged styles add layers of almonds, hazelnut, dried fruit, and a creamy texture. Keep your eyes out for the Gran Vino de Rueda designation – only wines from 30+ year-old vines with strict production standards earn this title, showcasing Verdejo's aging potential and earning international recognition!
- 1,000 Years of History: Verdejo’s roots run deep—it’s been cultivated in Spain for over a millennium, making it one of the country’s most historic grape varieties!
Who says white wine can’t be enjoyed all winter long? Rueda’s Verdejo doesn’t just bring brightness to cold nights—it’s also an ideal food pairing friend. The perfect alternative to Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, Verdejo looks for simple yet distinctive food flavors and textures to match with it: fresh, herbaceous, salty, spicy, rich, tart, and crunchy.
- Say Cheese! Like two peas in a pod, Verdejo and goat cheese just go together. Both creamy, mouth-filling, yet light and bright. Now the biggest question to complete the trio, bread or cracker? Find Full Cheese Pairing Guide Here.
- Whole Roasted Striped Bass: Beautiful fish served whole. Add warm tortillas, grilled corn, salsa, and cilantro if desired.
- A Riff on the Traditional Gilda: On a toothpick, stack a boquerone (marinated white anchovies) with a Guindilla pepper and Gordal olive for slatey and spicy flavors. Add a chunk of Manchego cheese if you please. Bathe everything briefly in olive oil and you’ve got a winner.
- Paella is an Art: Get creative with this Paella Mixta recipe from James Beard Award-winning chef Jamie Bissonnette!
- Younger, brighter, “joven-style” Verdejos love green herbs, leafy salads, Greek salad, vinaigrettes, green vegetables, lime-forward ceviches, lemon-marinated shrimp and grilled halloumi.
- Tinned fish, citrus and herb-spiked grilled chicken, fish, pork, lamb, and grilled vegetables are lovely with lees-aged Ruedas.
Celebrate Tempranillo (aka the KING of grapes) This Holiday!
- A unique style of Tempranillo: In Ribera del Duero (located 2 hours north of Madrid), Tempranillo is called Tinta Fina or Tinto del País. What makes it unique? This local variation has smaller, thicker-skinned grapes that bring extra intensity, concentration, and structure to the wine.
- Cellar Worthy Wines for the Collector: Ribera is home to the most exclusive red wines in Spain, coveted by collectors the world over thanks to producers like Vega Sicilia and Dominio de Pingus.
- Tempranillo at its Finest: These wines go head-to-head with regions like Napa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Piedmont.
- Cabernet Lovers, Give This A Whirl: The full-bodied complexity of Ribera del Duero offers lively acidity and ripe, muscular fruit flavors, dark cherry, blackberry bramble, dried fig, vanilla and cassis – with plenty of aging structure.
- Biodiversity in Action: Many vineyards in the region are committed to sustainable winemaking, and some even go the extra mile by keeping beehives on-site. Bees maintain the vineyard’s natural balance, promoting healthier vines and indirectly enhancing grape quality. A healthy vineyard leads to better fruit, and better fruit means the bold, powerful Tempranillo we all love.
Ribera del Duero’s Tempranillo is the ultimate companion to your holiday table. With rich dark fruit flavors, a touch of spice, and smooth tannins, this Spanish red elevates winter’s most savory, charred and spicy dishes!
- Charcuterie & Cheese: A Classic! Combine aged Manchego, jamón Ibérico, and chorizo for a perfect Spanish-inspired spread. Find Full Cheese Pairing Guide Here.
- Red Olives marinated with dried figs, cinnamon, cloves, dill, and olive oil served with a berry-forward Crianza is a sure bet.
- Bacon-Wrapped Dates: “Easy” to prep AND a perfect match with a Crianza or other lighter style Ribera del Duero. To really kick this one-bite wonder up a notch, add a bit of decadent blue cheese to the dates for a truly out-of-body moment.
- Pair with the Trends: Korean cuisine, the International Cuisine of 2024, combines sweet, spicy, garlicky, comforting, deeply delicious flavors. Tamarind Beef, Filipino Pork Adobo, Kalbi (Korean barbecued short ribs), and Cocido Madrileño are a few new-style Tempranillo-friendly dishes to explore.
- Roast Lamb or Beef: Tempranillo’s dark fruit and spice complement tender roasts and hearty meats.
- Stuffed Mushrooms & Veggies: Tempranillo’s earthy notes bring out the flavors of roasted and herb-seasoned veggies.
Find even more recipes here! Share your favorites with us @binnysbev and @riberayruedawine. Happy holiday pairing!
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