Conundrum -- wine with octopus

[Peter Creasey]

What wine with grilled octopus?

Looking around the internet, there are a wide variety of wine recommendations, including from sommeliers -- Sauvignon Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Rioja, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gruner Veltliner, Pernand-Vergelesses, Chateau Grillet, Tempranillo, Italian/Sardinian wines, Gigondas Rose, Zin, and so on. One fatalist's recommendation was a Margarita.

The predominant preference seemed to lean toward a lighter red.

. . . . . . Pete

 

[Jeff Grossman]

I would choose an acidic white because the octopus prep is likely to include garlic and lemon, which does not suggest a red to me.

 

[MarkS]

I would go with wines from the countries where they eat a lot of pulpo: Spanish whites, Portuguese whites, Amalfi whites, Greek whites...stay away from oak.

 

[Steve Edmunds]

I had a Spanish-influenced Octopus dish last week that made a nine-year old Syrah taste mighty good.

 

[MLipton]

Whatever you do, don’t serve Conundrum with it.

Mark Lipton

 

[Peter Creasey]

Thanks, guys! All good suggestions. Good advice against the Conundrum, Mark. And yes, MarkS, on Spanish but decided to go red. No preparation e.g. garlic, lemon, etc. that predisposes it to be with a white wine. My thinking was more along the lines of what Steve mentioned.

Dinner went well. Grilled the octopus using the plancha...



As served, simply grilled octopus, potato/mushroom salad, green beans/leeks...



My wine selection went with a Grenache/Carignane blend -- Ferrer Bobet Vinyes Velles Priorat '15 -- Dark red, effusive bouquet with complexity, lots of fruit on palate, double decanting and a few years of bottle age led to a nicely soft but full wine, totally delicious, perhaps ideal with the grilled octopus.

Very nice Memorial Day dinner!

. . . . . . Pete

 

[scottreiner]

Right before Covid shut the world we cooked an octopus in a pressure cooker and drank a Puffeney Cuvee Sacha with it. The sous voile texture paired wonderfully with the octopus flesh.

 

[Jim Hanlon]

originally posted by MLipton:
Whatever you do, don’t serve Conundrum with it.

Mark Lipton

I fully expected this to be a tasting note.

 

[Jim Hanlon]

originally posted by Steve Edmunds:
I had a Spanish-influenced Octopus dish last week that made a nine-year old Syrah taste mighty good.

Was smoked paprika involved?

 

[Steve Edmunds]

crispy chickpeas, salted cucumber, hummus, sesame, buttermilk-yogurt sauce, fresno chili relish, sumac

and the octopus was insanely tender

 

[Brian C]

originally posted by scottreiner:
Right before Covid shut the world we cooked an octopus in a pressure cooker and drank a Puffeney Cuvee Sacha with it. The sous voile texture paired wonderfully with the octopus flesh.

I miss that wine.

 

[Tom Glasgow]

originally posted by Brian C:

originally posted by scottreiner:
Right before Covid shut the world we cooked an octopus in a pressure cooker and drank a Puffeney Cuvee Sacha with it. The sous voile texture paired wonderfully with the octopus flesh.

I miss that wine.

were we supposed to drink it up?

 

[Jay Miller]

For simple grilled octopus I like Huet sec or demi sec.

 

[Pavel Tchichikov]

Bandol rosé , e.g. Domaine du Gros 'Noré

No contest.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
Bandol rosé , e.g. Domaine du Gros 'Noré

No contest.

Sounds 'bout right. If grilled over wood, whites would not be so great. I think a nice low-extraction red like 2020 Breton Avis de Vin Fort would be perfect. But Demi-Sec? Never.

 

[Jay Miller]

originally posted by mark e:

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
Bandol rosé , e.g. Domaine du Gros 'Noré

No contest.

Sounds 'bout right. If grilled over wood, whites would not be so great. I think a nice low-extraction red like 2020 Breton Avis de Vin Fort would be perfect. But Demi-Sec? Never.

I recall a wonderful pairing of 1985 Huet LHL DS about a decade or so again. But ymmv of course.