Something to go with Mexican Food…

Busy, busy, busy…very short post today….Some months back, I posted a piece about what I thought to be the facts and fictions about the “impossible food pairings”. Most were very particular foods - like the omnipresent asparagus, artichokes, etc. But in addition to this or that particular food item, I also cited certain cuisines from non-wine-drinking cultures as nearly impossible matches with nearly any kind of wine. And for me the one that might top the list is Mexican (REAL Mexican). Much of the problem is the spice level. As I’ve said before, a MODEST level of spice can be negotiated, but beyond a certain threshold, hot pepper KILLS wine. Beyond this, the crema, the sourness of many of the salsas, the shredded lettuce, suggest one approach, but the relative, bland starchiness of refried beans, rice tortillas, suggest another…it’s a tough row to hoe…

But a Mexican restaurant staple - the ubiquitous Senorial Sangria Soda figuratively put one of those crudely drawn but pretty bright light bulbs over my head…LAMBRUSCO!!! Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis will also remember my piece on Lambrusco (but if you don’t just go back and have a look) so I won’t go into the depth that I did there here, but those of you who love Mexican food will surely recognize Senorial. And while good Lambrusco is far more than Senorial with alcohol in it, the two beverages are cut from the same cloth, and they both work for the same reasons: the slight sweetness, the high acidity, the low alcohol (no alcohol in the cse of Senorial), and the carbonation are all the hallmarks of wines that work well with spicy foods (any kind). Further, the rich, wild berry/grapiness of Lambrusco finds a perfect foil in the fattier pork dishes and a nearly blank canvas in the plainness of the tortillas and the beans and the rice.

My wife Jen and I tried this pairing last night with our great Oaxacan take-out (I had enfrijoladas con bistec, and she empanadas con pollo, and she was first to comment about how well everything worked together (I had actually tried the combo solo one night when she was working late, so I knew it was going to work). Now mind you this pairing is not Meursault and lobster, Muscadet and oysters, or a simple Chianti and Pizza, but for what I thought was indeed an IMPOSSIBLE match Lambrusco did the trick pretty well…give it a try…

Lambrusco and Mexican…!Que combinacion!