Octopus Wine Pairing: 8+ Great Wines that go with Octopus

I’ve got to say, as a Greek, I’m a little disappointed in myself that it’s taken me over 2 years to write an octopus wine pairing post. Octopus is one of my favorite types of seafood and it goes with some of my favorite styles of wine. So without further ado, I give you my top 8 (get it, 8!) wines to pair with octopus.

What Wine Goes with Octopus?

The predictable answer here would be your favorite crisp white wine but would it surprise you to know that octopus also pairs with red wine? There are so many ways to prepare octopus that the “best pairing for octopus” really depends on how its made. I’m going to include a few recipe links as well so you can try to make octopus at home, as well.

Red or White Wine with Octopus?

The best way to determine if white wine or red wine is best with octopus is understand the science behind food and wine pairing. I won’t bore you with those details now, but you can check this out if you’re into it. If you have a soft cut of octopus then a white wine will work great. If you find that the octopus leans more towards to tougher side, the tannins in a red wine will help break it down. It’s not a coincidence that octopus is often soaked in red wine before cooking. Breaking down the octopus makes it much more tender.

The Best Wine with Grilled Octopus

Grilled octopus is by the far my favorite way to eat octopus. Where I live in Crete, nearly every seaside tavern has their daily catch of octopus hanging out to dry. They do this to evaporate the water so it doesn’t steam into a rubbery mess when grilled. Then the octopus makes its way to the grill.

The char from the grill on octopus matches well with an lightly oaked wine or even an medium-bodied red. Try grilled octopus with lighter-style Grenache or with even a basic Chianti or Tempranillo.

A great choice for white wine with grilled octopus would be a lightly oaked Chardonnay (think budget Chablis) or Chenin Blanc from South Africa.

Try this recipe to make Grilled Octopus at Home.

Bonus tip: Served grilled octopus with fava spread.

Octopus Wine Pairing: Octopus Carpaccio

My favorite restaurant Salis makes the best octopus carpaccio, like ever. The octopus is cooked in red wine, sliced so thin, then drizzled with delicious olive oil. Now, even though it’s cooked in red wine, I don’t think a red wine would be the best pairing with octopus carpaccio. Again, I’d say stick to a crisp white.

One of my food and wine pairing tips that I write about in my ebook is to think of wine like a condiment. Since octopus is almost always served with lemon, pair it with a wine with high acid and tart citrus flavors.

For a traditional Greek feel, pairing octopus with a high quality Retsina. You could also try a high-acid lemony Assyrtiko. The saline quality of Assyrtiko would also be heaven with the sea salt content of the octopus.

An international variety that fits the bill would be Sauvignon Blanc which is known for it’s lime and grapefruit flavors. However, best to avoid the way too pungent styles of SB like those from New Zealand, a more neutral Sauv Blanc would be best so not to overpower the flavors of the octopus.

Albariño from Spain is also a great choice for a octopus wine pairing. It’s the perfect balance of just enough acidity and not too bold of flavors.

Octopus Ceviche Wine Pairing

Similarly to octopus carpaccio, octopus ceviche is great with a bright and crisp white wine. Try octopus ceviche with a slightly off-dry Pinot Gris from New Zealand, the little bit of sweetness is a nice complement to the lime flavors. Vinho Verde from Portugal would be perfect with octopus ceviche on a hot summer day. Vinho Verde is light bodied, low in alcohol, and has great citrus flavors. Verdejo from Spain is basically alcoholic lime juice (in a good way!) and would be great with octopus ceviche.

Recipe here.

Octopus Stew Wine Pairing

Across the Mediterranean you’ll find different preparations of octopus stew, generally in a hearty red sauce. One of my trusted wine and pairing tips is, “if it grows together, it goes together.” So for these octopus stew wine pairings I’ll be matching a wine from the country the dish comes from.

Octopus Stifado Wine Pairing (Greece)

Recipe here.

Octopus Stifado is a personal favorite for me during the Easter Lenten period. While I personally don’t fast for Easter, I do like all the delicious seafood dishes associated with it. Octopus Stifado is cooked in red wine and tomato sauce. A great pairing with this octopus dish would be a simpler style of Agiorgitiko (St. George). I wouldn’t go for an expensive one, but a simple Agiorgitiko would be great with this dish. For a white, check out a the rare grape Dafni from Crete. Its name derives from the Greek word for bay leaves since it smells just like it.

Estofat di pop i patata (Catalan, Spain)

Recipe here.

Estofat di pop i patata is an octopus stew from the northeast region of Spain, the capital of Catalonia being Barcelona. The most famous wines from Catalonia are Spanish sparkling wines (Cava) from the Penedes region. Now, I am never one to skip on bubbles but a bit further south, you’ll find the magnificent wine region of Priorat. Priorat is famous for gorgeous red wines made from Garnacha (Grenache) and Cariñena (Carignan). While the most prized wines from this region require years and years of ageing, a simple Spanish Garnacha will be a great pairing with octopus stew. Catalan octopus stew is the heartiest style and can handle a bigger red.

Polpo in Umido Alla Siciliana (Sicilian Octopus Stew)

Recipe here.

The Sicilian style of octopus stew is lighter, brighter, and delicious. I have a soft spot of Sicilian wines, too. Nerello Mascalese is one of Sicily’s most popular red grape varieties. It’s bright acidity is a perfect complement to tomato based sauces. Similarly, the white grape Grillo would be awesome with this dish, especially with the bean, caper, and olive aspects of the dish.