Pimientos de Padron with Sandeman Fino Sherry

Pimientos de Padron exist by the grace of two things: the olive oil they fry in and the coarse salt that goes over them. The fino tackles both. The acidity and the 15 per cent alcohol cut through the oil fat, so that after four peppers your mouth is as clean as after the first. The salt is perceived more sharply through that same acidity; research on taste interactions with sodium chloride shows that acidity lowers the threshold for salt perception, while sweetness raises that threshold considerably. That last point is the argument here for not choosing a sweet wine; and then there is the pepper that turns out unexpectedly hot: in that same literature bitterness lowers the salt threshold by thirty-three per cent, and a cold, dry wine with little residual sugar lets such an outlier sink away sooner than a heavy wine. The Consejo expressly mentions salads with vinaigrette and dishes where salt plays the leading role with fino.

Serve this fino at 6 to 8 degrees, and preferably slightly colder rather than warmer: the Consejo gives 5 to 7 degrees in its own guide and Sandeman gives 6 to 8 degrees. Use a catavinos or white wine glass of about 200 millilitres, filled one third. Keep in mind the short shelf life after opening: a fino stays good for about a week in the fridge, with the bottle closed. After that it is not spoiled, but the sharp freshness that does the work here is gone.