Is wine the new Margarita?

Cinco de Mayo is this week and I love a good margarita! Who can pass up that delicious salty, lime combo with a huge bowl of guacamole? But what if I told you that you could have a glass of wine that would taste just as delicious?

Is it possible for a wine to taste just as delicious as a Margarita?

And I’m going to blow your mind here…..I’m NOT talking about a glass of sangria!! In Episode 21 of The Wine CEO Podcast, I take a deep dive into this topic. If you want to listen to the full episode, click the box below! Otherwise, keep reading to learn about my top 2 wine recommendations with Mexican food!

So the wines I’m about to tell you about are from Spain. And you may be wondering why I’m not pairing Mexican wines with Mexican food. Well, sadly, Mexico does not have a lot of great wines. The climate is too hot to support the growth of most of the main grape varietals. But, Spanish cuisine is the birthplace of many hispanic flavors, so Spanish wines make a delicious pairing with Mexican food.

1. Albariño

   The first wine that I love pairing with tacos, nachos, burritos, and anything Mexican is albariño. You’ve heard me mention this Spanish wine before as I think it is outstanding and you can get it for an amazing price. Albariño is a grape varietal that is originally from Northern Portugal, but is also grown predominately in Rias Baixas, in the northwestern region of Spain. Rias Baixas is along the coast and has a much cooler than the central regions of Spain. This results in wines that are very crisp and acidic. Albariños often have flavor notes of lime, lemon zest, grapefruit, and some salinity. So these wines have striking acidity, almost no residual sugar, and lower alcohol - making it easy to knock a few glasses back during your fiesta. They are very light bodied white wines that are extremely refreshing, so you don’t feel full or heavy after drinking them. Because Rias Baixas is a coastal region, there’s a lot of seafood there. Naturally, the wines are made to complement the local cuisine, making the delicious citrusy and refreshing wines a perfect pairing to anything seafood related. But even if you aren’t enjoying a fish taco, this type of wine is still a perfect pairing because of the delicious citrusy characteristics and overall acidity. What do we love in a margarita? Again, we love the tart and sour lime flavors that complement the lime found in a lot of Mexican food and albariño embodies this really well.

   Albariño wines to try:

   • Martin Codax Albariño

   • Licia Albariño

   • Burgeons Albariño

2. Verdejo

   The second wine that I love to pair with Mexican food is Verdejo. It’s very similar to albariño as they are both light and refreshing with high acid, low sugar, low alcohol, and a light body. Verdejo also has refreshing citrus notes making it another doppelgänger for a good margarita. Verdejo is grown almost exclusively in the northwest Spanish region of Rueda. Similarly to Albariño, this wine is traditionally aged in stainless steel, giving the wine crisp acidity. Aging white wines in oak give them buttery and more full flavors of baking spices, vanilla, and more. So aging in stainless steel ensures that the wine remains crisp, clean, and doesn’t take on any additional flavors from the oak. Sometimes verdejo will be blended with sauvignon blanc to add some additional herbal notes, but if the wine is labelled as Verdejo, it does have to be at least 85% Verdejo grapes by Spanish law.  Verdejo has a little bit of bitterness to it as well as fruit flavors of melon and peaches. It can be difficult to find in grocery stores, but if you are shopping in a wine market or specialty store, they should have at least 1 verdejo for you to try!

   Verdejo wines to try:

   • Marques de Riscal Verdejo

   • Palma Real Verdejo

   • Latitud 42 Ecologico

   • Adalina Bodegas Verdejo

In my opinion, these are two of the best options for pairing wine with Mexican food. There are other wines that go well with some specific dishes, like grenache with pork tacos or syrah with steak tacos. But, if you’re looking for a wine that is really flexible and can go with almost any Mexican dish out there, albariño and verdejo are your go to options. They are light enough to complement lighter veggie and fish tacos, but can still stand up to heavier steak and pork dishes because of their zippy lime acidity. Comment below if you have tried either of these wines and let me know if you are going to try pairing them with your favorite Mexican foods!