I tried this wine for the first time when I visited Altùn last spring. Alberto and Iker are the two brothers and wine makers, for whom the wine is named, served this lovely wine with careta.  Careta is the face of a pig. Perfectly grilled, the careta had a crispy texture with a wonderful “porky” flavor and it was delicious.

However, as I don't have any experience with pig face, I paired this lovely wine with a different tapas that has ingredients that are readily available.  This tapas can be made any time of year and it doesn't have a million ingredients.

The Altùn Albiker matches well with the Manchego and Roncol cheeses used in this simple dish. Add some crusty bread and chorizo and you have turned your tapas into a nice little meal.

And if you should ever find yourself in Spain, try the Careta.

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the vinaigrette:

Method

Make the vinaigrette first because the peppers should be cooked and served immediately. You don't want to be whisking everything together while your lovely peppers get cold.

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together mustard, sherry vinegar, and garlic.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar while whisking briskly to combine. Season with salt and pepper.  You can store it in the refrigerator.

Peppers:

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook shallot until translucent. Whisk in three tablespoons of flour and then the heavy cream. Add the cheese, chopped thyme, and some black pepper while stirring constantly until you have a thick paste.

Let the cheese cool a bit and spoon it into peppers. Season lightly with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook peppers for about two minutes on each side.

Drizzle a little vinaigrette over the peppers and serve.