How to pair wine and clams?
Undoubtedly, the beautiful little shells of the good clams Ruditapes decussatus They contain one of the most intense and delicious flavors of the sea. Their fleshy, soft texture, although resistant to biting when cooked, is irresistibly sensual. And the broth they release when they open, when they surrender to the heat of the pans, is unmatched and irreplaceable in many recipes around the world. What do sommeliers think when faced with an inviting plate of clams? Should we accompany them at the table with equally tasty, mineral wines, with marine aromas and flavors? And what are the elements to avoid in wines for an impeccable pairing, one that enhances the unique and prominent character of this paradoxically shy mollusk, hidden among shells and buried in the sand and mud of brackish waters?
CLAMS: SALT, SEA AND UMAMI
First, an important caveat regarding the species. If we are going to discuss wine pairing with these iconic bivalves, it is important to realize that the good clam or “vongola verace” in Italy is really the good and true one. Although from the same family of Veneridae molluscs, the Philippine and Japanese clams have invaded the Mediterranean and our coast, but they offer much less gastronomic potential. Fortunately, it is not necessary to be a marine biologist to recognize their anatomical differences. Although the colors of the shells vary greatly within the species, the good clams tend to be more elongated, angled and larger. Ruditapes philippinarum In turn, they are more rounded and have more pronounced radial growth grooves. The biggest difference, however, is inside the shells, in their appearance and flavor. The “good” ones have two elongated and independent siphons, unlike the joined siphons of the foreign ones. The meat of our native clams is whiter and more tender, and tends to be much juicier when cooked to the right point, right after the shells are opened. Their sea flavor is more refined, their saltiness is less aggressive and their “sweetness” is superior.
Other important characteristics of clams to take into consideration for wine-food pairing purposes are their iodine, unsaturated fat and vitamin content. umami. Firstly, our succulent bivalves have one of the highest concentrations of iodine of all marine animals, even more than cod (approximately 120 micrograms per 100 grams, compared to 110), in which the iodine is concentrated by the salting process. This excludes any red wine from our food and wine list, unless someone enjoys sucking on old coins like candy. This high iodine content can metallicize even the most phenolic whites and rosés, and even the contributions of ellagic tannins from aging in oak. We also saw in the article on pairing with sea urchins in Revista de Vinhos nº 344 that for foods so rich in iodine, some grape varieties such as Riesling, Alvarinho and Loureiro, rich in alpha-pinene, help to carry the iodine-rich marine flavors in the retro-olfaction.
In terms of total fat, clams have a very low content of approximately 2g per 100g, although a significant portion of this fat is polyunsaturated omega-3, more than is found in salmon, for example. This is great for your health, but it can be difficult for wines that have any significant iron content, as we saw in the article on sea urchins. These oils take on an uninviting appearance of “fish market trash” when even small traces of iron are found, something above 5 milligrams per liter, in wines.And in which ones? Especially in reds - in which there is contact with stems, skins and seeds, and the grapes undergo more aggressive crushing, maceration and pressing, resulting in higher iron contents - or in wines from soils rich in iron, such as in some volcanic, schist soil patterns, etc.
Finally, analyzing the extremely high glutamate content of clams, over 200mg in 100g (more than in shrimp and twice as much as in sea urchins), we can say that these appetizing bivalves are a food bomb. umami, the fifth essential flavor. As we previously discussed in our article on pairing wines with tuna in Wine Magazine No. 345, the presence of umami makes wines more bitter, hard and drying, reducing their fruit and eventual sweetness. In this way, it highlights the hard side of wines and reduces the soft side in the balance. Therefore, we should choose more fruity wines, generous in alcohol and softness, and less tannic and acidic with our clams naturally stuffed with umami.
In conclusion, we need to dry out the natural succulence of clams and the succulence/unctuousness that normally involves their gastronomic preparation with the alcohol in wine, never with its tannins. As this precious bivalve is very rich in iodine, polyunsaturated fats and umami, any phenolic presence in the glass will be immediately highlighted and pulled out of balance, even if it only comes from wood aging.
This is the imposition of the theory of harmonization: we have to look for white wines with good alcohol content, without oak, without skin maceration, and know that all their elements on the hardness side - acidity, sapidity, minerality - will be highlighted by the clams in the harmonization.
SOME CLASSIC PREPARATIONS
The ubiquitous Bulhão Pato clams here in Portugal are much better when prepared with good clams than with their eastern relatives: it is impossible to make a great wine with grapes that are not exceptional. And the combination of garlic sautéed in olive oil and coriander, and a touch of lemon - never excessive - make our protagonists of the moment absolutely irresistible. We certainly need an equally fragrant white wine for this preparation, which is full of aromatic elements. An Alvarinho with an alcohol content of 13ºGL or higher, is always a smart choice, to offset the juiciness and unctuousness of a Bulhão Pato. Its aromatic intensity and terpenic notes, including pinene, converse lively with the iodine of the dish, prolonging the ode to the waves of the sea. And its granite minerality, typical of Minho vineyards, is highlighted by the umami clams. A fragrant and soft Fernão Pires, from the limestone soils of the Lisbon region, is another wise choice.
For a more minimalist experience of steamed clams, so that we can appreciate their natural beauty, it is necessary to reduce the aromatic volume of the wine. One of the most basic rules of pairing, agreed upon by all schools, is that the aromatic load of the dish should be equivalent to the aromatic load of the wine. After all, there should be dialogue in a marriage; a monologue does not bring future to the relationship. A grape variety that I love and try more and more is Arinto. What enormous potential. And its more sober fruit character, “savoury” as the English say, makes it a wild card on the table, enveloping the flavors of the dish without ever dominating it. Incredibly gastronomic Arintos abound from the coast of Lisbon to Bairrada, passing through the Tagus. For natural clams, I particularly like a wine from the historic region of Bucelas, based on marl and hard limestone soils from the Jurassic period, soil rich in fossilizations of...bivalves! I don't know if Shakespeare proved this divine pairing when he decided to mention the wine from “Charneco” in the play Henry VI, published in 1594, but I recently tried a Quinta da Murta from Bucelas with the clams just opened in their own broth and the result was theatrical and inspiring.
Outside of Portugal, clams are used in many iconic dishes around the world, but I would mention two particularly famous ones: the Italian “spaghetti con le vongole” and the American “clam chowder”. When I lived in Italy, one of the pasta dishes I tried most with different wine profiles was the spaghetti finished in clam broth, the “vongole veraci”, opened in a sauté of garlic and dried chili in olive oil, with white wine and fresh parsley. Although typical of the Campania region, whose capital is Naples, this dish is loved and made in all Italian regions, from the south to the north of the country. Of all the dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of wines I tried with this incredible pasta, the most unforgettable experience was in a regional pairing with a Greco di Tufo from a specific “cru”, a great white from an ancient grape variety grown in limestone (or volcanic) soils in the interior of Campania. Its alcoholic heat soaked up the unctuousness and succulence of the dish to perfection, its Mediterranean profile and intensity were in unison with the flavors of the dish, and its fine mineral seal from the limestone soils was exalted by the umami. Clam chowder, in turn, despite all its regional variations, is a rich cream of clams with potatoes, vegetables and bacon, a trademark of New England. Although the creaminess and structure of the recipe remind us of a good American Chardonnay aged in barrels, we must always bear in mind that the “briny” or brackish side of the dish is a sea of iodine that will bring out any wood in which the wine was aged. That is why many good American sommeliers suggest other rich white wines, with power to handle the flavors of the chowder, alcohol to detoxify the unctuousness, but without wood, for this classic dish: Viognier, Chenin Blanc, late-harvest Riesling, among others.
SHELL REVEALS WOOD, SHELL REVEALS SHELL
With the excuse of ratifying once again the enogastronomic theory discussed above, I recently steamed some fabulous clams from the Alvor estuary and served them with two white wines with opposite profiles, but similar alcohol contents of 13ºGL. An austere Chablis, with restrained fruit from a cold climate, beautiful freshness and minerality from “Kimmeridgian” limestone soils with fossilization of tiny oysters. Exogyra virgula, alongside a high-quality white from Alentejo, based on the Arinto grape variety, with more exuberant fruit, some skin maceration and very discreet aging in wood, from vineyards planted at an altitude of 450 meters in magmatic soils such as diorite and also schist. Although the two beautiful whites achieved the correct detergent counterpoint to the succulence/unctuousness of the dish, the copious amount of iodine and umami of our bivalves brought out of the previously praiseworthy balance of the Alentejo wine all the phenols from the skin maceration and the contributions of the wood, on the palate and in the aftertaste, which became metallic. There is no point in hiding it, these little shells will reveal any phenolic or ferruginous presence in the whites, in the rosés, and imagine then in the reds! The Chablis, however, vinified in stainless steel tanks, provided a perfect juxtaposition of flavors. Logically, the umami shifted the balance of the wine slightly towards hardness, but in a pleasant way, highlighting its tension in the mouth and especially its chalky minerality.Harmonization has built a bridge between today's shells and the shells from 155 million years ago, from the Upper Jurassic, in my apartment's kitchen. How great it is to be a sommelier.