Usually uncommon in UK fish restaurants, octopus is now experiencing an unexpected boom, thanks to the increase of this cephalopod mollusc along English coasts. Although this phenomenon - probably due to rising water temperatures - has a worrying impact on other fish species, it has also influenced the country's consumption habits.
From salads to carpaccios and oriental recipes, here are the best suggestions for a perfect pairing between octopus and wine!
The characteristics of wines for octopus: factors to consider
If your first instinct when serving octopus is to uncork a bottle of white wine, this brief introduction is necessary. Since this species is extremely versatile in the kitchen, the wine choice should be equally variable and not fixed on a single type. So, which wine goes well with octopus?
Proper cooking - usually brief - gives octopus flesh a very tender consistency, whilst flavour-wise it is rather delicate, with a marine nuance. Dishes that don't alter these flavours with intense seasonings pair well with medium-bodied white wines that are fresh and slightly mineral. When ingredients in salads or carpaccios include a good amount of lemon or lime, a white wine with citrus notes can transform the tasting experience.
However, the fact that it can be cooked and seasoned in many different ways also opens the door to more full-bodied and structured labels. In the case of grilled octopus, for example, the cooking method changes the flavours at play, giving the product a smoky nuance, which requires a light red, a characterful rosé or a wood-aged white wine, structured enough to support this note.
Reds and rosés are also comfortable with octopus enriched with Mediterranean aromas and flavours, such as olives, tomatoes and capers, whilst oriental sauces that enrich the recipe need to be paired with dry, fresh and crisp wines, perhaps even sparkling wines!
Octopus and potatoes: what to drink with this evergreen
Octopus and potato salad is a timeless recipe, perfect to serve at a buffet for casual occasions - like garden dinners or parties - or in gourmet style, as a delicious starter.
It has the advantage of not only satisfying and conquering the palate with soft and savoury flavours, but also being very simple to prepare, a virtue for those who don't want to complicate their lives or spend hours at the stove.
Just a few ingredients are needed to create this dish: octopus and potatoes, obviously, but also a dressing based on extra virgin olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon and the essential fresh parsley. Based on the principle of harmony, the ideal wine is a white that presents citrus or herbaceous notes, refreshing, but also endowed with good structure, to support the flavours and texture of olive oil.
Among the best wines for octopus salad in this case stands out an "Atlantis" Albariño DO Rias Baixas DO 2023, a Spanish wine with an oceanic personality, as the name itself suggests. Originating from Galicia, it displays a brilliant lemon yellow colour in the glass, but it's the aromas that captivate, thanks to a bouquet of green apple, pineapple and mango amplified by long lees ageing. The sip delivers good persistence and pampers the palate with a balanced acidic and saline hint, along with pleasant citrus notes.
Wine for grilled octopus
BBQ enthusiasts know perfectly well that grilling isn't just any cooking method, but one that requires patience and precision, and gives food a very particular aftertaste, almost wild.
Thanks to the coals, the delicate flavour of octopus is slightly "dirtied" by a gutsy nuance, which can be worthily accompanied by a medium-bodied red, like a Chianti with fresh notes. Just one sip of this "Antiche Vie" Chianti DOCG 2023 is enough to abandon any prejudice and embrace the potential of pairing octopus with red wine.
With its bright ruby red colour, this label surprises thanks to a soft and elegant aromatic charge, composed of notes of violet and cherry. On the palate it delivers excellent freshness, conferred by the period of ageing in cement.
The round taste and acidic counterpoint, finally, marry beautifully with the aromatic and gustatory notes of this dish!
Octopus carpaccio: what to drink with it?
For those short of ideas for an elegant starter, you can play it safe with a carpaccio, a generic term indicating meat or fish served in very thin slices, usually with sauces or marinade to enrich the taste.
Octopus is a perfect ingredient for this preparation, boiled in vegetable stock, cut into pieces and pressed in a cylindrical mould (like a plastic bottle cut in half). After a resting time of 12-24 hours it can be sliced, served with a sauce based on olive oil, lemon or orange juice, and aromatic herbs like parsley or thyme.
The seasoning gives pleasant citrus and herbaceous notes, which pair well with a bottle of Grecanico Dorato Sicilia DOC 2024.
Produced in Menfi, this wine is the ideal companion for fish starters, aperitifs and seafood dishes, and therefore represents an ideal choice with octopus carpaccio. In the glass it displays a straw yellow dress streaked with green, whilst on the nose it delivers scents of orange blossom, lemon and cedar. The aromatic bouquet harmonises beautifully with the recipe also thanks to particular thyme nuances. In the mouth, instead, it's pleasantly refreshing, immediate and lively, a product that confirms the splendid love story that can develop between octopus and white wine!
Sushi and takoyaki: octopus in oriental style
If the West offers a great variety of octopus-based recipes, the Orient certainly doesn't stand idle, but rather raises the stakes with refinement and taste.
On one hand, this ingredient lends itself beautifully to the preparation of sushi and sashimi, perfect for organising a sophisticated dinner. On the other, its versatility makes it the ideal base for very tasty fried balls, consumed as Japanese street food: takoyaki. Two recipes with very different taste profiles, which therefore require more than one label for the ideal pairing.
Sushi prepared with octopus - or tako sushi - uses this ingredient after a quick blanching, not only to tenderise its consistency, but also to give a slight sweet aftertaste. We're faced with full flavours, albeit not invasive, that marry beautifully with balanced wines like a Provence rosé.
In a glass of "Gassier" Côtes de Provence AOC Rosé 2024, there's everything needed for an unforgettable pairing: intriguing aromas of peach and pear, nuances of mandarin and a taste with fruity notes of peach, berries and yuzu.
Different is the taste of takoyaki, balls typical of the Osaka area, which consist of a batter that is stuffed with octopus and cooked on a special cast iron plate. In the city streets it's not unusual to see vendors rapidly turning takoyaki with their chopsticks, then serving them to customers. Soft and tasty, they're accompanied with various sauces, from mayonnaise to otafuku sauce, based on Worcester and fish extracts. All this gives a savoury and full-bodied taste, which requires a good sake or a wine capable of cleansing the palate and refreshing it with a bit of effervescence. Nothing better in this case than a glass of Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Brut, lively and fruity.
Essential during celebrations, Prosecco lends itself beautifully to accompanying this oriental street food, for a cultural meeting between Italy and Japan. In the glass the colour isn't intense, but the aromas are, a decisive symphony of white-fleshed fruit, apple and citrus. In the mouth it delivers a refreshing and pleasantly fruity sip, amplified by lively bubbles.
In salad, as carpaccio or oriental style? Choose your favourite octopus recipe and start pairing it with the rich selection of wines available in the Svinando catalogue!