Cordero asado al sarmiento
Vine-roasted lamb is the historic match for this grand old-school Gran Reserva.
Our editors write the food pairings for every bottle we review. Grouped by kind of food, the Carignan pairings come out like this, most frequent first. Each card names the bottle, so you can read the full tasting note before you cook.
101 Carignan pairings
Carignan with lamb
Roast rack of lamb with herbs
Concentration and firm tannins find a match in prime lamb.
Slow-braised lamb with herbs
Garrigue aromatics echo the lamb's herbaceous character.
Slow-roasted leg of lamb with herbes de Provence
Garrigue echoes the herbs; full body handles slow-cooked lamb.
Slow-braised lamb shanks
Las Flors' fine tannin carries the lamb fat.
Roast saddle of lamb with rosemary
Firm tannins frame the lamb fat; thyme-and-rosemary garrigue notes meet the herb crust.
63 Carignan pairings
Carignan with cheese
Aged Idiazabal
Smoked Basque sheep cheese mirrors the wine's cedar and balsamic.
Aged Manchego
Hard sheep cheese crystals complement the wine's mineral finish.
Aged Manchego cheese
The mineral core and acidity cut through sheep's milk richness.
Aged Roquefort with quince
The salty-blue cheese finds counterpoint in the wine's warm-stone and red-fruit lift.
Aged Garrotxa cheese
Earthy mountain goat cheese finds a match in the wine's mineral and earthy register.
Aged Tomme de Provence
Sheep's milk Provencal tomme picks up the wine's savoury Mourvedre register without overwhelming the fruit.
56 Carignan pairings
Carignan with pork
Grilled Iberian pork shoulder
Rich dark fruit and firm tannins balance the fat and smoke.
Cassoulet
The Languedoc classic finds its peer in Voulte-Gasparets' Corbieres-Boutenac flagship.
Cassoulet de Castelnaudary
The Languedoc classic with the region's premium Minervois.
Grilled Iberian pork neck
Fruit and mineral depth balance fatty, flame-cooked pork.
Roast suckling pig
The producer suggests roast or heavily spiced meat, lamb and suckling pig.
50 Carignan pairings
Carignan with beef and red meat
Chuleton de buey
Aged-beef chop frames the wine's fine tannin and savoury oak.
Aged ribeye with smoked salt
Firm Mourvèdre tannins cut aged beef; iron and graphite meet smoked salt.
Braised oxtail with herbs
Firm tannins and mineral depth find their balance in rich slow-cooked beef.
Daube of beef
Carignan's structure and the wine's warm spice match the slow-braised beef.
Grilled beef with chimichurri
Dark fruit and graphite notes echo the char and herb sauce.
Daube provencale
The wine's leather and herbe-de-Provence register echoes the slow-cooked beef and orange peel of the daube.
45 Carignan pairings
Carignan with charcuterie and cured meats
Black truffle and potato terrine
The earthy depth and mineral character of the wine echo the truffle.
Wild mushroom and game terrine
Earthy mineral character echoes the earthiness of mushroom and game.
Aged Pélardon
Concentrated fruit and silky tannin balance aged goat cheese.
Charcuterie
Old-vine Carignan and Languedoc charcuterie - canonical Minervois pairing.
31 Carignan pairings
Carignan with game
Roast partridge
Game's gaminess meets the wine's truffle and tobacco depth.
Braised wild boar with black truffle
Dense dark fruit and mineral depth complement the game and truffle.
Braised wild hare
Old-vine Cariñena concentration and firm tannins meet gamey hare.
Saddle of venison with juniper
The wine's garrigue and white pepper notes echo the gamy juniper register.
Wild boar civet
Game's depth finds the wine's leather and tobacco core.
Dove or pigeon with cherries
The wine's black-cherry palate aligns with the cherry sauce; gamey iron lifts the meat.
22 Carignan pairings
Carignan with vegetables and salads
Pissaladiere
Onion-and-anchovy tart pairs with the wine's blood orange and saline grip.
Aubergine parmigiana
Garrigue and thyme complement tomato-rich vegetable bake.
Charcoal-roasted tomatoes with olive oil
Simple Mediterranean roasted tomatoes echo the wine's freshness and mineral purity.
Grilled merguez and ratatouille
Garrigue and saline lift meet sausage and summer vegetables.
Charcoal-grilled vegetables (escalivada)
Smoky roasted peppers and aubergine complement the wine's earthy mineral character.
17 Carignan pairings
Carignan with chicken and white meat
Farm-raised poultry
Silky tannin and concentrated dark fruit handle farm chicken or guinea fowl.
Aubergine caponata
The wine's wild fruit and herbs match the southern French vegetable stew.
Tomato-braised chicken (pollo al ajillo)
Catalan garlic chicken with tomato echoes the wine's red fruit and herb register.
Roast chicken with alioli
The wine's medium weight and acidity balance garlic-rich chicken.
17 Carignan pairings
Carignan with mushrooms and truffle
Truffle pasta
Black fruit and violet aromatics find earthy depth in black truffle.
Wild mushroom and truffle pasta
Earthy mineral notes work with truffle and mushroom earthiness.
Wild mushroom risotto
Earthy depth and fine grain find harmony with mushrooms.
Wild mushroom rice (arros de bolets)
Earthy Catalan mushroom rice echoes the wine's mineral and herb complexity.
14 Carignan pairings
Carignan with pasta, pizza and grains
Wood-fired pizza
Mid-weight La Clape and tomato-base pizza is a classic match.
Pasta puttanesca
Red fruit and spice match olive-anchovy-tomato.
Pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato)
Classic Catalan bread brightened with olive oil mirrors the wine's rustic red-fruit register.
Pa amb tomaquet with aged cheese
Rustic Catalan bread and aged cheese echo the wine's earthy, mineral character.
Pizza
The producer suggests pizza.
10 Carignan pairings
Carignan with fish
Roast lamb with anchovies and herbs
The wine's iron mineral character is amplified by the salty anchovies alongside the lamb.
Grilled tuna with tapenade
Pink-grapefruit and almond palate cut through olive paste; structure frames the tuna fat.
White tuna with anchovies
Spice and fine length meet meaty white tuna with savoury anchovy lift.
Grilled mackerel with herbs
Rustic structure and salt finish meet oily fish.
Grilled cod with black olive tapenade
The wine's saline mineral and herb notes complement Mediterranean fish.
9 Carignan pairings
Carignan with duck and goose
Roast duck breast with cherries
The wine's red-fruit aromatics match the cherry sauce.
Magret de canard with cherry sauce
Cherry-jam palate echoes the cherry sauce.
Roast duck
The producer names duck; candied black fruit and smooth tannin suit rich bird.
Roast duck with cherries
Duck fat and cherry sauce echo the wine's wild cherry and iron ore character.
6 Carignan pairings
Carignan with aperitifs and small plates
Gilda pintxo
The anchovy-olive-guindilla skewer's salt sharpens the rose's redcurrant lift.
Tapas and olives
The wine's accessibility and freshness make it a natural aperitif companion.
Catalan tapas spread
The wine's easy-going freshness makes it a versatile aperitivo companion.
3 Carignan pairings
Carignan with oysters and shellfish
Grilled prawns
Charred shellfish meets the wine's saline citrus.
Grilled langoustines
Direct-press rosé's pale fruit and saline finish carry shellfish.
Catalan fideua seafood pasta
The wine's fresh acidity and mineral notes complement Catalan seafood pasta.
Taste it with the food in Priorat
Food and wine tastings you can book in Priorat, the region with the most Carignan bottles on our pages that sells them.
private tasting wines&food priorat with hotel pickup
Walk among the vineyards, breathe fresh air, taste our wines and enjoy a breakfast or snack in the middle of an exceptional landscape.
Salou: Priorat Wine Cellar Tasting Tour with Hotel Pickup
Explore a cellar in the Cornudella region of Priorat.
Trek & Wine in Priorat
Walk among vineyards guided by a local in the unknown and unspoiled landscape of the Priorat wine region. Enjoy an easy half-day walk and savour the Priorat world-famo...
Wine tastings and winery visits in Priorat (5) · Wine tours and day trips in Priorat (8) · All wine and food experiences
Where the bottles come from
Carignan pairings by region
- Priorat (99 bottles), Priorat food pairing
- Languedoc (55 bottles), Languedoc food pairing
- Provence (5 bottles), Provence food pairing
- Rioja (5 bottles), Rioja food pairing
Carignan food pairing, FAQ
What food goes with Carignan?
Across the 164 Carignan bottles on Cork & Curve, the dishes our editors pair most often are lamb, cheese and pork. For example, our page for Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial from Rioja suggests "Cordero asado al sarmiento": Vine-roasted lamb is the historic match for this grand old-school Gran Reserva.
What cheese goes with Carignan?
Cheeses our editors pair with Carignan bottles include Aged Idiazabal, Aged Manchego and Aged Manchego cheese.
What meat goes with Carignan?
Lamb is the pairing that comes up most among meats for Carignan: Cordero asado al sarmiento, Roast rack of lamb with herbs and Slow-braised lamb with herbs are among the dishes on our Carignan bottle pages.