Have you ever thought of having wine with Mexican food? We have. Mexican food is absolutely delicious and we never thought it was impossible to pair it with one of our favorite beverages, wines such as Tempranillo, Shiraz and Rosé. Here’s a list of wines that goes with Mexican food.
Mexico is known for being the beer and tequila center of Central Asia. Mexico knows good beer and makes the best tequila in the world.
Why does beer go well with Mexican food? These two were made for each other. The food of Mexico in general is rich and full of flavors. The balance of the beer with the strong flavors is a perfect match.
Fermented agave was used for religious purposes in Mexico in its earlier years so it is basically a staple there.
However, wine has always been in the picture in Mexico. Wine seems to be a more sophisticated drink but in Mexico, all drinks are treated with great respect. The oldest winery in North America is found in Mexico. Isn’t that cool?
Here, we explore which wines are perfect with Mexican food.
1. Riesling
Riesling is one of our favorite kinds of white. It is crisp and high in acidity. Riesling is often paired with cheeses because the acidity balances the richness of the cheese.
Riesling is perfect to pair with Mexican dishes that are heavy on cheese and these are typically Tex-Mex dishes. Riesling is delicious with quesadillas, tacos, and other fresh Mexican cheeses.
2. Pinot Gris
This delicate dry white has high acidity. It cuts through the fatty flavors of Mexican dishes. We love pairing it with guacamole and other Mexican dishes that are heavy on avocado.
Pinot Gris also meshes well with the strong flavors of fresh cilantro and onion. It complements these flavors yet doesn’t enhance them too much to make them seem overpowering.
3. Tempranillo
Mexican food is totally different from Spanish food but what we love is that most Spanish wines go well with Mexican food. Tempranillo is a medium-bodied wine with medium acidity and good fruity notes.
These notes balance the spiciness, onion, and garlic flavors that stand out in Mexican dishes.
4. Rosé
If you’re leaning towards having lighter Mexican food or Tex-Mex food, a good bubbly rosé would make things perfect. Taco al Pastor is one of the most iconic Mexican dishes that you can find mostly in the streets.
The best is arguably in Mexico City. If you have taco al pastor, you might want to have it with rosé because it complements the pork, spices and fruits in the dish.
5. Zinfandel
Zinfandel is another great match with meaty Mexican dishes like caldillo or carne guisada because of its medium tannic level. It has notes of fruits like blueberries, blackberries, cherries, cranberry, and boysenberry.
Its tannic level balances the stronger-tasting meats in Mexican cuisine. It has high acidity making it a great match to balance the richness of the meats.
6. Shiraz
Shiraz has highly tannic wine, which is perfect for more powerful flavored Mexican dishes. It is a full-bodied wine with spice notes of pepper, vanilla, and tobacco. It also has some fruit notes of berries.
The tannic level of Shiraz makes it a versatile wine. You can have it with rich dishes whether it is a loaded taco, burrito, or tamales.
7. Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t the best wine to pair with hot and spicy Mexican food because it’ll just aggravate the spice situation more.
However, if you’re sticking to a spicy Mexican dish (not hot), the full-bodied characteristic of Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect for washing down the spice, creating a cleaning palate in every bite.
