Any pairing suggestions for Mexican?

Hi Mat, Probably not much help on wine suggestions because when I think Mexican food, it's gotta be with a bottle (or two) of Negra Modello beer, or for the "lite" drinkers, some Dos Equis. Don't know why, but I've never considered Mexican food with wine - might be something to try. :-)

Dick R.

Mat,

Mexican food is quite a challenge when considering wine pairings, but that's exactly why I'm very intrigued by the idea! I've tried doing it several times, but I can only recall a couple of good pairings during my quest to find the "perfect" wine. My suggestion would be to try to stick with chicken based dishes and avoid corn tortillas (soft or hard) at all costs. My wine suggestions would be Riesling and fruiter Sauvignon Blanc (Meridian comes to mind). I haven't come across a red that would be worthy of me suggesting it, but do try some and report back to the group on your findings! Good Luck!

Sean

Hi Mat It of course depends on what you order, if we are assuming spicy red meat dishes (tacos, fajitas etc) with plenty of tomato I find Italian varietals can work quite well. The DeBortloi Windy Peak Sangiovese (around $10 Oz) works well I find, though my favourite is the Chapel Hill Il Vescovo Sangiovese Cabernet($16 Oz). If you want to drink something a bit heavier I also find a warm climate shiraz can work, (Hardys 02 Oomoo Shiraz, $11 Oz, but beware the 03 it's a bit ordinary) the spices in the wine & food working together. Nothing too tannic though, those two are awful together. I also quite like a margarita or a corona. Cheers Andrew

This is absurd. European wines are meant to match European foods.

Try beer.

I find Prosecco to be a great match for Mexican style dishes. Try it.

Regards,

Rich

We've had this discussion before, I think it's important to note there's an awful lot of regional variation within Mexican food. And for that matter a large percentage of the "Mexican" restaurants in US are more correctly Tex-Mex.

Are you going to serve the same wine with ceviche, Oaxacan enchiladas with mole, quesadilla surtidas (corn masa with cheese poblns,a and chicken), Yucatan chicken with pumpkin sauce,camarones al ajillo (shrimp) or huachinango Veracruz(red snapper w/green olives)? How about huitalacoche (a strange but wnderful fungus)? Sorry to be a pain in the ass (and for any misspellings), but it's important to remember "Mexican" isn't a monolithic cuisine (Mark Lipton is a good resource on this IIRC).

I still think the best all-purpose beverage is beer, that's especially true with very spicy Border/Tex-Mex cuisine.

If you really want to drink wine, for flavorful (but not usually "hot") seafood dishes, I'd lean towards unwooded Sauvignon Blanc. An inexpensive sparkler (Rich's prosecco )is another good choice. For heavier dishes, with some heat (but not overwhelming),red Rhone varietals are usually way I'd go (though Zin or Sangiovese could work too).If you have something with a lot of heat, if you have to have wine, I'd try something with a bit of residual sugar.

Well said! The question is a lot like "what wine goes with American?"

A quick look at Rick Bayless' excellent cookbooks will highlight the mistake that most Yanquis make when thinking of "Mexican food"--it ain't primarily that insipid tortilla wrapped ground meat shrouded in sticky red sauce and buried under shredded iceberg, tomato and cheddar that we encounter when we seek to be "full". I'd rather be the pirate. Ptui!

The usual Tex-Mex we encounter defies wine. If you absolutely must have wine, then go with Sangria (home made, not store-bought) or maybe a crisp, dry white such as Dale's suggestion of SB or maybe an Alsace gewurtz.

But, if you're going to encounter some of those wonderful dishes that Dale lists or you've got a Bayless "Jones" and are doing some creative mole cooking or Yucatan inspired seafood, then you can spread your wine-wings and fly. I'd agree here again with Zin or Sangiovese.

Mucho gusto.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled"

slightly

heavier

As others have pointed it out, it really depends on what types of food you will be eating; will it be northern mexican, oaxacan, something from the Yucatan? Will it be fish, beef, pork?

The wines mis suegros drink with the meals when we are visiting, tend to be on the sweeter side; however, I think this is more due to their taste preference.

I would suggest waiting for another occaision for the pinot noir. If you are looking at sticking to beef dishes, most I have encountered have been of the grilled variety with very little spice added (more central mexican cuisine I think), then the shiraz *might* work.

My preference when dining on Mexican food, tends to be either beer or a Cuba libra. Also, there are some good tequilas out there that are great for *sipping* with appetizers but that is another discussion... Salud! Tom AZ alfazert at nwlink dot com

An inexpensive Spanish Chardonnay (nice and oaky) goes well with certain fish dishes, if not too spicy. I make a white fish dish with tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, paprika (and a few more minor ingredients I can't recall). It's said to be Mexican in origin, though seems very European ("old world") to me.

That's the extent of my limited knowledge on this topic, though I get many compliments on both the food and the pairing. As other have mentioned, Sangria is also an option (I much prefer to the sweeter whites you mention).

\/

I'll second the Sangria recommendation - my wife & I eat the local "Mexican" frequently (our three favorite Mexican restaurants are owned by US citizens who are from Mexico), and Sangria fits our taste, also is priced appropriately for the average moderate cost Mexican meal.

Jim

Exactly. It makes as much sense to ask "what wine to serve with Mexican food?" as it does to ask,"what wine to serve with French food?" or ,"what wine to serve with American food?"

Allowing for the differences in Mexican food, and thinking primarily of the typical Tex-Mex food you find in the USA, I agree with you.

Actually, _that_ was absurd!

Not a bad choice, but sangria would be OK too. Be sure to make it from European (or better still, _Italian_) wine so as to annoy Mr. Scarpitti. ;^D

S moT

As already mentioned first choice would a Negra Modello (or two) closely followed by James Squire Indian Pale Ale. Be wary of restaurant made Sangria .....most suck like a hoover.

wn

I replied to another thread in this post. Prosecco. Let me tell you how I came up with the paring::

Hot food, whether hot from spices or hot from peppers only gets hotter with high alcohol . So I choose a wine that that is lower in alcohol, and has some residual sugar. These wines tame the hot,spicy stuff, and also hold up on their own. So Sauvignon Blanc would not work according to my scheme, but Riesling and some bubble's would work.

Regards, Rich

Fernat Branca?

As has been pointed out, the type of Mexican food makes a major difference. I recently had dinner at one of my favorites here in Houston that specializes in cooking from the interior part of Mexico. Two of us had chiles stuffed with pulled pork with a walnut cream sauce sprinkled with pomegranets (sp?). I ordered a Novy Napa Syrah 2002 (Page Nord Vineyards) that was absolutely perfect and went with the other two entrees that our companions ordered. Very reasonably priced also --$38.00.

For most of our usual Tex-Mex hangouts we stick with good old Margaritas

Hello,

Sorry I should have said "I have no idea what is on the menu or what I will get, so can I get some generalised suggestions please." :)

Knowing what I like it will be some bum-burner full of spice.

I guess that is a problem with BYO, matching food to the wine rather than vice-versa [buying wine at the restaurant].

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are quite good and helpful and I will have a scout around today / tomorrow for some of your suggestions.

Thanks a lot,

Mat.