Cockles, the small clams found on sandy beaches, are delicate shellfish that can be prepared in a variety of ways, both raw and cooked. Olivier Poussier, World's Best Sommelier in 2000, suggests food and wine pairings to bring out the best in these tasty shellfish.
Crystalline whites for raw cockles
To enjoy raw cockles simply opened with a drizzle of lemon and a slice of buttered bread, Olivier recommends white wines with good acidity and a certain amount of tension, to respect the iodised flavour of the cockles. The Folle Blanche grape variety, worked by Jérémie Huchet at the Domaine de la Chauvinière in Château-Thébaud (Muscadet), is perfect. This long, easily digestible wine comes from a parcel of granite sand in Clisson, offering a fine mineral expression.
For cockles prepared marinière style with seaweed and parsley, Olivier suggests an equally crystalline Spanish wine: Forjas del Salnés' Cuvée Leirana 2023, made from the albariño grape variety. This wine from the Rías Baixas appellation, in the Val do Salnés sub-region, stands out for its aromas of orchard fruit and herbaceous notes, offering beautiful minerality and purity.
As a French option, a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson 2020 from Domaine de la Pépière also goes well with this dish. This wine, matured on its lees in vats for two years, combines power and finesse thanks to its fine bitters and crystalline notes of white pepper, brought out by its sandy-gravelly terroir on granite.
A fine rosé for hulls on land and sea
For cockles cooked Portuguese-style, with pork belly, chorizo, thyme and laurel, Olivier recommends a more structured rosé. The Reservado 2020 from the Buçaco estate, a wine from the emblematic Portuguese hotel that has been producing wine since 1917, is an excellent choice. This rosé, made from the Baga grape variety and sourced from the Dão and Bairrada regions, goes perfectly with the land and sea flavours of this dish, thanks to its ability to improve with age.
These suggestions from Olivier Poussier highlight the diversity of possible pairings to sublimate cockles, whether eaten raw or cooked, with wines of varying profiles but always in harmony with the finesse and iodine of this shellfish.
