Wine and Mexican Food Pairing

The Joy of Mexican Food

I don’t know about you, but where I live right now the weather has been averaging around 70 degrees (or higher) during the days—you can feel Spring in the air and in your bones! I can’t think of any better way to celebrate (in culinary terms) then to dive into the splendors of Mexican food! Not only one of my favorites—and no doubt the same for some of you as well—but also a great way to experience the food and wine pairing joy that this type of food provides.

Fresh Ingredients

Now we’re not talking just rice and beans here…we’re talking the whole show! Ingredients like fresh tomatoes, aromatic cilantro, peppers of every color (and degree of hotness), zesty citrus, flavorful meats, and fresh-made tortillas and salsa come to mind. Not to mention the other favorites of guacamole and pico de gallo…and the list goes on. The wonderful world of Mexican food offers up variety and full-flavor, and as with many types of foods fresh is the key! Freshness in the food brings out better qualities and more flavors in the wine. Not only do fresh ingredients taste better, they make for a top-notch wine and Mexican food pairing too. We all know this deep down…canned salsa from the store shelf does not taste as good as the fresh-made salsa at your favorite taqueria. Agreed? Good—there’s no comparison!

Wine and Mexican Food Pairing Guidelines

When you talk about wine and Mexican food pairing, there are some basic guidelines. I like the term "guidelines" better than "rules" because there really are no rules. Many people have their personal favorites, and if it goes against the guidelines don’t worry! Those are just meant to get you started:

• Avoid big tannin, high-alcohol wines with light or spicy foods. If you’re eating lighter foods, the big wines will mask most of the delicate flavors, and if you’re eating spicy foods the high alcohol will just put your mouth on fire.
• Opposites attract. For example, fatty foods with acidic wines make a wonderful pairing (ever try Champagne with triple-cream cheeses? Mmm). Super spicy foods pair nicely with a slightly sweet wine with lower alcohol.
• Finally, white dishes tend to pair with white wines, and red dishes with red wines. This is not a hard and steadfast rule, but one to start with. A good example of this is cream sauces or white meats with white wines, and red sauces and red meats with red wines.

The Dishes

So how about some specifics? Be warned…after reading about these wine and Mexican food pairings you will feel the urge to go buy some fresh ingredients and have Mexican night at your house, I promise. But since you asked, here goes…

• Ceviche

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, who was born and raised in Mexico, came over for dinner and promised to bring over one of his favorite dishes: ceviche. This was a spectacular dish, and he promised to give me the recipe (and if any of you would like it, feel free to email me). Ceviche is basically raw seafood that is cured in high-acid liquids of lemon, lime, orange, and hot pepper. This, in essence, “cooks” the meat. This was served up with some lime-tortilla chips and presented in a martini glass. Wow…that was all I could say. The wine pairing? Now let’s think about this a little bit. What were the components? Fish and citrus, with a bit of heat (peppers). OK, so what would be some of the options? Not red, that wouldn’t match up to the citrus and white meat of the fish…so now we’re left with whites. Oaky Chardonnays need not apply because we’re focusing on the acidity of the dish, the freshness. So a lighter white with acidity to hold up to the acidity in the dish is what we’re looking for. Our choice: Sauvignon Blanc! The citrus components in the Sauv Blanc matched perfectly with this dish the first go around (and the second and third go around too…I couldn’t help it!)

• Carnitas

Another favorite dish that makes an annual appearance (at least) is carnitas. Pork. Pork is probably the best meat as far as food pairing variety, and it has its hard-core followers. Carnitas is a dish that brings out the crispy outside of the pork, and the tender, very flavorful core that is either served by itself, or on tacos or in burritos. This dish is full-flavored pork at its best. The ingredients for carnitas can sometimes include orange juice, beer, Coke, and spices, and is cooked on high heat in a copper pot. The result is something that needs a wine that can stand up to it. The rule for pork is usually Pinot (Pig and Pinot, Cab and Cow as the saying goes). This dish needs more than a nuanced and layered Pinot Noir. I think a high-acid red goes well because of the fat in the pork. Some Italian favorites that I also like to choose are Sangiovese or even a Barbera. Looking to France, you can’t go wrong with the Rhone region and get a red from that area. Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault grapes that are known for their big flavors and higher acids come from this region. Look for Gigondas, St. Joseph, or the ever-popular Chateau Neuf-de-Pape for some great wines.

• Spicy Dishes

Finally, the biggest question with Mexican food: what to pair with those spicy, hot dishes. You know the ones: it hurts to eat them, the sweat appears on the forehead, and you keep going back for more anyway because it’s so good. These dishes are really hard to pair with wines. Pick the wrong wine and your mouth is even more on fire than it was with just the food. What pairs with this? There are a few directions we can go. Sometimes bubbles are a great thing…if you pick an off-dry sparkler (think extra dry, not brut), the ice cold wine and soft bubbles can offset the screaming heat. Another direction I like to go is to the off-dry Rieslings. These low-alcohol gems can be the perfect answer to a high-heat meal. The wine is chilled, the fruitiness with slight residual sugar helps with the hot food, and the low alcohol carries it through nicely. Look for the sugar level of Spatlese or higher.

Have Fun With It!

Whatever you do, have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new things! Wine and Mexican food pairing should be a symbiotic relationship where the wine improves the food, and the food improves the wine. Also, don’t worry too much if you hit some bumps along the road—maybe not every wine pairing will be perfect, but don’t let that stop you from trying again. Have fun!