Chorizo al Vino

Anne Kjellgren @ Food Wine and Flavor

A classic Spanish tapa: chorizo simmered in red wine until the sauce turns dark and syrupy. Ready in twenty minutes, with a wine pairing guide included.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Spanish

Servings – 6, as a tapa

Ingredients

1 lb Spanish semi-cured chorizo, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cloves garlic smashed
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups Rioja or other Tempranillo
1 tsp honey optional
Crusty bread to serve

Instructions

Lightly brown the chorizo in a dry pan to render its smoky oil; pour off the excess fat.
Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook 30 seconds.
Pour in the wine (and honey, if using) and simmer 12–15 minutes until reduced and syrupy.
Discard the bay leaf and serve hot in its sauce, with bread for mopping.

Notes

Notes and Variations

Semi-cured chorizo holds up best to the simmer; fully cured chorizo can be used but will render less liquid.
A splash of sherry vinegar at the end brightens the sauce if it tastes flat.
This dish scales easily for a larger tapas spread; double the recipe and serve in a wide shallow dish.

Wine Pairing

This dish was built alongside Rioja, and the pairing is not incidental. Pimenton’s sweet-smoky quality mirrors the vanilla-and-char signature of Rioja’s American oak, so the wine and the sauce meet almost exactly in the middle rather than one having to reach for the other.

For the full region and varietal guide behind this pairing, including how to read Rioja’s Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva tiers, see this week’s full post.

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