wine and mexican food

[RJM]

I have a menu put together with "authentic" Mexican Cuisine (no chimi's). What pairs best with mole, ceviche, birria (lamb), rabbit in mole,????
All suggestions are welcome.
THANX FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS!!
(ESPECIALLY DUTTON)
THIS "BEER BOARD" HAS PROVEN TO BE AN INVALUABLE TOOL.
NEGRO MODELO IS A FINE BREW AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES NEXT TO BOHEMIA. UNFORTUNATLY, BEER IS NOT AN OPTION. I MUST BUILD A WINE LIST. BOLD REDS ARE GREAT FOR COMPLEX FLAVORS LIKE MOLE BUT I WAS REALLY LOOKING TO STAY REGIONAL BY FINDING MEXICAN WINES. AS FOR A FULL-BODIED RED, WHEN PAIRING WITH A SPICEY DISH THE ACIDITY AND TANINS TEND TO INTESIFY THE HEAT SO I AM GOING TO STICK TO GEWURTRAMINERS AND REISLINGS FOR THOSE REALLY HOT ONES.
THANX AGAIN,
RJM

[This message has been edited by RJM (edited 02-13-2000).]

[Innkeeper]

A big, bold, red, Zinfandel. Storybook Mountain Zin would be great if the price is right, and you can find it. The Ceviche stands apart. Would choose a Gewurztraminer such as Bonny Doon's.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 02-10-2000).]

[Bucko]

Believe it or not, sparkling wine works well.

Bucko

[Thomas]

So does beer.

[mrdutton]

Wasn't beer invented just to go with Mexican food?

[Innkeeper]

The first gut reaction was to go with beer, but a. this is wine board, and b. this menu is not Tex/Mex; but rather, a sophisticated Mexican meal. Wish we knew more about Mexican wine, but last time we looked they were doing a better job with beer.

[cellarmate]

How about Sangria. Fruit juice and a red wine. Anyone have a favorite mix? Can be a good use for reds that have lost more than the gained from cellaring, fruit juice returns some sparkle.

[Kcwhippet]

I just read somewhere that Wente in conjunction with a Mexican winery brought out a label called Duetto. The wine is produced in Mexico, but I don't recall the grape - I'll have to look for it again. Maybe this will work with the Mexican menu.

[hotwine]

If you insist on serving wine, suggest a big Spanish Rioja would do nicely. But for authentic Mexican food, you really can't beat an authentic Mexican beer. Here in South Texas, I'd go with Dos Equis Amber, a rich rull-bodied lager. Wonderful stuff.

[Bucko]

No, no, Tecate and lime.....

Bucko

[Innkeeper]

Oh, the shame of it all. A student from Long Island puts together a upscale Mexican menu, and comes to the Wine Board for wine suggestions, and what does the Board do? It makes suggestions all over the beverage map. Most egregious are the many references to beer. Recommending beer with this menu, is like saying that beer goes with pizza, therefore you should drink beer with all Italian food. It may come as a complete surprise to some of you, but Mexican food is going uptown in the good ole USA. There is a Mexican Restaurant in Miami Beach (Mexican NOT Cuban) called Mayya, where the average check is $95.00 per person. Larry Stone from Rubicon in SF designed the wine list. How much of it do you think is beer?

[Thomas]

Innkeeper, you sound perturbed. Nothing wrong with identifying beer if it fits. I started the thing and so I should say that I raraely drink anything but wine (brandy is wine, no?) but the recipe said beer to me.

As for the $95 dinner in Florida: since when is the cost of a dinner a guarantee that the wine list will pair with it?

[Bucko]

And who says that a $95 per person check means that the food is good? One of the best mexican meals that I ever had the pleasure of eating cost $6 a person -- in Cozumel grant you. And what is wrong with beer? I home brew some real beauties, if I may say so myself.

Bucko

[Innkeeper]

Excuse me while I go out for a brewski.

[mrdutton]

Because of all of this discussion I've done a little bit of research. I've no real personal experience in this area, but I sure am learning a few things.

Authentic Mexican food can be very complex. The flavor and nuances of many of the dishes depend on more than just chilies.

I get the distinct impression that chilies are used for their flavor more so than for their heat. A lot of the recipies I've looked at call for removing the seeds and the ribs from the chilies before using them in the recipes. Since most of the heat in a chili is in the rib and the seeds, this suggests that authentic Mexican food uses the chilies not for heat but for the flavor of the "meat" of the chili.

Beer and tequila seem to be the predominate beverages of choice when it comes to eating Mexican food. 'Bon Appetite' recommends Negra Modelo or Dos Equis Amber especially for beef and lamb dishes or with mole. I've also read that Margaritas go well with Mexican food because the lime and the tequila mix well with the flavor and heat of the chilies used in Mexican cooking.

Mexico has about 100,000 acres of vineyards, but the majority of the production is used to make brandy and sherry. Mexico exports very little wine, although I understand some does make its way into the southwestern regions of the U.S. Mexico produces and exports a fair amount of beer,from the light Coronas to the more complex Dos Equis and Negra Modelo.

Could it be, that with all that beer and so little wine, why we equate Mexican food with beer instead of wine?

I've also been reading a lot lately that Zinfandel and chocolate make for a nice pairing. "Eat a bit of chocolate and wash it down with a sip of zin," I'm told. I have not tried it yet, but will soon.

Mole sauce is very complex, but one of the key ingredients is Mexican Chocolate which is used to finish and round-out the sauce.

My logic suggests that it might be worthwhile to try a Zin with a Mexican dish that uses Mole as a sauce.

I also ran across a couple of Spanish wines that might do nicely paired with authentic Mexican food. They have been described as "mouth filling and earthy."

Vina Mayor, Crianza, Ribera del Duero

Finca Retuerta, "Abadia Retuerta,"
Sardon de Duero

Authentic Mexican food paired with good wine - now that seems to be a paradigm worth investigating!

[hotwine]

Bucko makes a good point regarding the Tecate & lime.... But since that's a meal in itself, who needs the food?!
I still vote for Dos Equis, or a Rioja. Or perhaps a Rhone Valley. Definitely not the sangria.
(...getting a terrible thirst...)

[Thomas]

Dutton, that Vina Mayor is a winner wine. I keep it in my cellar. Also, look for Vina Pomal.

[mrdutton]

Foodie - thanks, if I can find some locally I just might give it a try.

Funny, but I just can't help but wonder if "RJM" (the original poster to this thread) is following all of this!

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 02-12-2000).]

[Thomas]

Dutton, if RJM is following this thread he/she should try all the suggestions--preferably at separate times--and then report back to us.

By the way, that Vina Pomal is a Rioja. Also, if you like Spanish wine, look for Priorat, from the Terragona.

[Thomas]

I am sorry: Barranc Priorat, 1997.