Manzanilla, as you probably know, is a fino sherry made in the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda rather than in the cities of Jerez or Puerto de Santa Maria which gives it its characteristic salty tang.
Like fino it needs to be served chilled and drunk fresh so always buy from a shop or online retailer that has a good turnover of bottles
From a food point of view the two are very similar though I would tend to go more for manzanila with seafood and fino with meat and cheese. What both have in common is that they can handle strong flavours like garlic and chilli and tricky to pair ingredients such as asparagus and artichokes.
Both are obviously very good with Spanish cuisine (especially tapas) but lend themselves well to other dishes such as smoked salmon, fish and chips and sushi. Treat the suggestions below as just that – suggestions – and don’t be afraid to swop them around:
Food matches for manzanilla
All kinds of seafood including:
grilled and fried squid
octopus and octopus salad
mussels, especially with chorizo
anchovies
oysters
raw fish such as sashimi or tartares
fried fish (and chips)
fried soft-shell crab
fish soups
feta cheese (such as this dish of beetroot borani from Morito)
pickled fish such as mackerel en escabeche
grilled fish, especially oily fish like sardines
garlicky prawns or shrimp
smoked salmon
smoked mussels
smoked dried beef
Food pairings for fino
nuts, especially almonds
olives and olive pastes like tapenade
jamon/ham
grilled or preserved artichokes
hard sheeps’ cheeses such as Manchego
chorizo
tortilla
grilled asparagus or leeks with romesco sauce
white asparagus
pimientos de padron
clams cooked with sherry
cider-battered onions (from my good friends Dan and Elly of The Basement supper club
croquetas
tandoori salmon and teriyaki salmon
white gazpacho
sushi, sashimi, tempura and any kind of Japanese food where you would drink sake
Food matches for ‘en rama’ styles
These are unpasteurised versions of either fino or manzanilla which have a limited shelf-life but a more intense flavour and texture
richer, hot or sauced fish dishes
grilled tuna
black rice with cuttlefish arroz negro
deep-fried sweetbreads
hake with allioli (garlic mayonnaise)
Japanese food generally
By: Fiona Beckett
***Grabbed from: https://www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/pairings/the-best-pairings-for-fino-and-manzanilla-sherry/?tag=top