There's a saying: What grows together goes together! This is valuable wisdom for the world of wine and food pairing. So what could be a better match than pairing Spanish red wine with Spanish tapas?😉. It's a meal that tastes like sun, beach, vacation, & gives you that Mediterranean feeling right at home.

F U N  F A C T : The origin of tapas is said to go back all the way to the early 1600s when the king passed a law that bars must serve a small portion of food any patrons who ordered an alcoholic drink. It was a snack to be placed on top of the mug - thus the name tapas, which means "cover". So Tapas were born out of an effort to curb drunkenness!

The world of tapas is vast and tasty, and the beauty of having an at-home tapas night is you can make it totally your own. But here are a few ideas of ingredients to help get you started:

• Spanish cheese: Manchego, Idiazabal, Roncal or Zamorano
• Fish and seafood: Anything from shrimp and sardines to mussels and stockfish - really any fresh seafood will do.
• Meat: Jamon/Serrano cured ham, chorizo/Spanish salami, ​​or Salchichón/Spanish summer sausage
• Vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, artichokes, roasted peppers (fried in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt) and of course garlic (aioli!) and chilli.
• Fruits: Olives and good olive oil are critical, as are dried fruits such as dates, apricots, or melon.

You can also make a delicious Spanish Potato Tortilla. We have a recipe here, which of course can be adjusted to your tastes:

You will need:

• 1/2 chilli
• 400 g potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 3 eggs
• 50 g spicy cheese (grated)
• fresh parsley

That's how to put it all together:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices. You also have to peel the carrots, halve them lengthways and cut them into fine slices. Also, cut up the onion and roughly chop the parsley.

Simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes and add the carrots after 5 minutes. Drain the cooking water after 10 minutes and let the potatoes and carrots sit to the side. You can use this time to whisk the three eggs in a bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon of oregano, the cheese, and the chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now everything starts to come together! Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions. Then add the potatoes and carrots and fry briefly. Then add the eggs, spread them evenly, and let them cook for about 5 minutes on low heat. Now comes the tricky part: flip the tortilla carefully and sauté from the other side for a few minutes. Finished. Now all that's left is to sit back, relax, and enjoy your tapas evening!

W I N E P A I R I N G

We recommend the red wines from Can Leandro from Spain. The Essencials 4 Mesos is a juicy red wine from Spain, which shows the proximity to the sea and the height at which it is planted. The cold breeze from the sea and the cooler nights make this otherwise heavy grape variety - Monastrell - more fruity and balanced in the glass. And his big brother Essencials 9 Mesos is stronger, more concentrated and jammier in taste than its little brother. He gets his big muscles through the longer time (9 months) he spent in a 225-litre wooden barrel. Shop both of these wines HERE.