Mexican cuisine and wine?

Hi all,

I really love Mexican cuisine and usually drink beer or margaritas with it, but I was wondering if there is a type of wine that goes with this food? I'm new to this forum so I apologize if there is already a thread about this. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

If you are talking Tex-Mex, I have never found a wine that I think works.

I have paired red field blends (Fortitude, Trinitas, etc.) with some mexican dishes that use chili's without a lot of heat (anchos). Never found a match for mole.

[Jenise]

Jen, welcome. Mexican food's an interesting subject.

Me, I'm not a hardliner when it comes to matching. Yes, there are some perfect and even stratospherically beautiful combinations of food and wine in this world, but with some foods it just comes down to this: eat the food you like, drink the wine you like. Mexican food's one of those, and there's so much variation even before you introduce heat. Zinfandel and syrah, because they're so fruity, would be my red choice for most mild Mexican food. But more often, Mexican food as I make it at home requires a wine that's more refreshing than contemplative, so I'm more inclined to reach for a chilled Provencal rose or new world chardonnay.

When eschewing beer, we sometimes go with Zinfandel or the Italian version Primitivo. Also Spanish wines, and not just because the food and wine are both Hispanic. Blends such as the mainline Riojas work well.

I was surprised by how well Cru Beaujolais matched with Mexican food. Even stuff that's a bit hot.

Works with Indian food as well.

Of course in both cases beer is an obvious option.

To my surprise, I discovered that the Italian varietals montepulciano, barbera, primativo, and sangiovese (nothing terribly expensive) paired beautifully with a variety of Mexican dishes (except seafood). Since I started exploring Rick Bayless recipes a few years ago, I had tried a number of different wines to accompany them. Most did not succeed on my palate. But, I think the Italian wines have that right balance of acidity, fruit and tannin to work with spicy, nuanced flavors.

[Robin Garr]

Another possible option is sparkling wine ... the bubbles work sort of like beer to scrub the heat off your palate and heighten flavors. I wouldn't use a pricey Champagne, but a decent, affordable Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava ought to do the trick!

Zinfandel, as long as it is not too alcoholic or tannic.