Okay, I’m writing this one because I’m sitting at my desk and I’m HUNGRY!

            I’m goofy about tapas in much the same way that some of my friends tell me I’m goofy about sherry. Fortunately the two things belong together – like Rodgers and Hart, like Laurel and Hardy, like port and stilton, like Minneapolis and St. Paul, like Snookie and The Situation.

             So what are tapas? Basically, they’re finger food or snacks, encompassing a wide variety of appetizers. They may be hot or cold. They may be as simple as olives, nuts, and cheeses, or may include shrimp, Iberian ham, chorizo, lobster claws, or pieces of steak. Last year a small group of us had the pleasure of visiting the old section of Logroño in Rioja, and were taken out for an evening of tapas. The fun part is that you wander in to a tapas bar, sample maybe one or two of their tapas with a copita of sherry or a glass of wine (or, if you like, a caña, or small beer), and then move on to the next, and the next, and the next and do the same. Many tapas bars serve only their own specialty. One we visited just served octopus (a favorite of mine). Another served sheep’s brains (worth a try).

             What wine do you drink with tapas? In Andalusia in southern Spain it’s usually dry or medium-dry sherry. I know that sherry has never appealed to the general American palate, as it does in Andalusia or Great Britain, but trust me – sherry is one of the most under-appreciated (and least expensive) of all the great wines of the world. It pairs so well with so many foods, and once you acquire the taste for it, can become something of a mania. In other parts of Spain you would simply drink a decent local wine with your tapas. It doesn’t have to be expensive – the emphasis here is on relaxed and easy-going times with friends, in being a part of the crowd, and in watching the crowd walk by.

             Right now I’m looking at a book that was given to me when I visited Tio Pepe in Jerez several years ago – 100 Tapas Recipes. I see recipes for kidneys in oloroso sherry; quail’s eggs with savory breadcrumbs; marinated trout on toast; dates stuffed with chicken and pepper pate with almonds; cod and aubergines (eggplant) on toast; snails in chili sauce; anchovies in tomato relish; wild mushrooms with Serrano ham; black sausage canapés; smoked salmon; sushi and sashimi; caviar and oysters.

             Forget it. I’m going to lunch! Anybody have any fino sherry?

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor, Central West Coast