Hello,

I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
some ideas on wine matching.

Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.

For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.

O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
lashi or something like that.


So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.

I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
"run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
opener before moving onto reds would be good.



Thanks a lot,

Mat.

How about Crittenden i Rosato - it is a rosé wine made for drinking with
food and has a wonderful acid balance that I think would go well with
Mexican food. Otherwise a young riesling or semillon would be good.

Save the pinot noir for some thing like duck or mushrooms!


"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an opener
> before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
>

How about Crittenden i Rosato - it is a rosé wine made for drinking with
food and has a wonderful acid balance that I think would go well with
Mexican food. Otherwise a young riesling or semillon would be good.

Save the pinot noir for some thing like duck or mushrooms!


"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an opener
> before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
>

Mat wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
> Thanks a lot,
> Mat.
>
Hi Mat,
Probably not much help on wine suggestions because when I think Mexican
food, it's gotta be with a bottle (or two) of Negra Modello beer, or for
the "lite" drinkers, some Dos Equis. Don't know why, but I've never
considered Mexican food with wine - might be something to try. :-)

Dick R.

Mat,



Mexican food is quite a challenge when considering wine pairings, but
that's exactly why I'm very intrigued by the idea! I've tried doing it
several times, but I can only recall a couple of good pairings during my
quest to find the "perfect" wine. My suggestion would be to try to stick
with chicken based dishes and avoid corn tortillas (soft or hard) at all
costs. My wine suggestions would be Riesling and fruiter Sauvignon Blanc
(Meridian comes to mind). I haven't come across a red that would be worthy
of me suggesting it, but do try some and report back to the group on your
findings! Good Luck!



Sean

Mat,



Mexican food is quite a challenge when considering wine pairings, but
that's exactly why I'm very intrigued by the idea! I've tried doing it
several times, but I can only recall a couple of good pairings during my
quest to find the "perfect" wine. My suggestion would be to try to stick
with chicken based dishes and avoid corn tortillas (soft or hard) at all
costs. My wine suggestions would be Riesling and fruiter Sauvignon Blanc
(Meridian comes to mind). I haven't come across a red that would be worthy
of me suggesting it, but do try some and report back to the group on your
findings! Good Luck!



Sean

> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an opener
> before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.

Hi Mat
It of course depends on what you order, if we are assuming spicy red meat
dishes (tacos, fajitas etc) with plenty of tomato I find Italian varietals
can work quite well. The DeBortloi Windy Peak Sangiovese (around $10 Oz)
works well I find, though my favourite is the Chapel Hill Il Vescovo
Sangiovese Cabernet($16 Oz). If you want to drink something a bit heavier I
also find a warm climate shiraz can work, (Hardys 02 Oomoo Shiraz, $11 Oz,
but beware the 03 it's a bit ordinary) the spices in the wine & food working
together. Nothing too tannic though, those two are awful together. I also
quite like a margarita or a corona.
Cheers Andrew

> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an opener
> before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.

Hi Mat
It of course depends on what you order, if we are assuming spicy red meat
dishes (tacos, fajitas etc) with plenty of tomato I find Italian varietals
can work quite well. The DeBortloi Windy Peak Sangiovese (around $10 Oz)
works well I find, though my favourite is the Chapel Hill Il Vescovo
Sangiovese Cabernet($16 Oz). If you want to drink something a bit heavier I
also find a warm climate shiraz can work, (Hardys 02 Oomoo Shiraz, $11 Oz,
but beware the 03 it's a bit ordinary) the spices in the wine & food working
together. Nothing too tannic though, those two are awful together. I also
quite like a margarita or a corona.
Cheers Andrew

This is absurd.
European wines are meant to match European foods.

Try beer.

"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
>

I find Prosecco to be a great match for Mexican style dishes. Try it.

Regards,

Rich

"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
>

I find Prosecco to be a great match for Mexican style dishes. Try it.

Regards,

Rich

We've had this discussion before, I think it's important to note
there's an
awful lot of regional variation within Mexican food. And for that
matter a large percentage of the "Mexican" restaurants in US are more
correctly Tex-Mex.

Are you going to serve the same wine with ceviche, Oaxacan enchiladas
with mole, quesadilla surtidas (corn masa with cheese poblns,a and
chicken), Yucatan chicken with pumpkin sauce,camarones al ajillo
(shrimp) or huachinango Veracruz(red snapper w/green olives)? How about
huitalacoche (a strange but wnderful fungus)? Sorry to be a pain in the
ass (and for any misspellings), but it's important to remember
"Mexican" isn't a monolithic cuisine (Mark Lipton is a good resource on
this IIRC).

I still think the best all-purpose beverage is beer, that's especially
true
with very spicy Border/Tex-Mex cuisine.

If you really want to drink wine, for flavorful (but not usually "hot")
seafood
dishes, I'd lean towards unwooded Sauvignon Blanc. An inexpensive
sparkler (Rich's prosecco )is another good choice. For heavier dishes,
with some heat (but not overwhelming),red Rhone varietals are usually
way I'd go (though Zin or Sangiovese could work too).If you have
something with a lot of heat, if you have to have wine, I'd try
something with a bit of residual sugar.

On 14 Jan 2005 07:13:44 -0800, "DaleW" > wrote:

>We've had this discussion before, I think it's important to note
>there's an awful lot of regional variation within Mexican food. And for that
>matter a large percentage of the "Mexican" restaurants in US are more
>correctly Tex-Mex.
>
>Are you going to serve the same wine with ceviche, Oaxacan enchiladas
>with mole, quesadilla surtidas (corn masa with cheese poblns,a and
>chicken), Yucatan chicken with pumpkin sauce,camarones al ajillo
>(shrimp) or huachinango Veracruz(red snapper w/green olives)? How about
>huitalacoche (a strange but wnderful fungus)? Sorry to be a pain in the
>ass (and for any misspellings), but it's important to remember
>"Mexican" isn't a monolithic cuisine (Mark Lipton is a good resource on
>this IIRC).
>
>I still think the best all-purpose beverage is beer, that's especially
>true with very spicy Border/Tex-Mex cuisine.
>
>If you really want to drink wine, for flavorful (but not usually "hot")
>seafood dishes, I'd lean towards unwooded Sauvignon Blanc. An inexpensive
>sparkler (Rich's prosecco )is another good choice. For heavier dishes,
>with some heat (but not overwhelming),red Rhone varietals are usually
>way I'd go (though Zin or Sangiovese could work too).If you have
>something with a lot of heat, if you have to have wine, I'd try
>something with a bit of residual sugar.

Well said! The question is a lot like "what wine goes with American?"

A quick look at Rick Bayless' excellent cookbooks will highlight the
mistake that most Yanquis make when thinking of "Mexican food"--it
ain't primarily that insipid tortilla wrapped ground meat shrouded in
sticky red sauce and buried under shredded iceberg, tomato and cheddar
that we encounter when we seek to be "full". I'd rather be the pirate.
Ptui!

The usual Tex-Mex we encounter defies wine. If you absolutely must
have wine, then go with Sangria (home made, not store-bought) or maybe
a crisp, dry white such as Dale's suggestion of SB or maybe an Alsace
gewurtz.

But, if you're going to encounter some of those wonderful dishes that
Dale lists or you've got a Bayless "Jones" and are doing some creative
mole cooking or Yucatan inspired seafood, then you can spread your
wine-wings and fly. I'd agree here again with Zin or Sangiovese.

Mucho gusto.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

On 14 Jan 2005 07:13:44 -0800, "DaleW" > wrote:

>We've had this discussion before, I think it's important to note
>there's an awful lot of regional variation within Mexican food. And for that
>matter a large percentage of the "Mexican" restaurants in US are more
>correctly Tex-Mex.
>
>Are you going to serve the same wine with ceviche, Oaxacan enchiladas
>with mole, quesadilla surtidas (corn masa with cheese poblns,a and
>chicken), Yucatan chicken with pumpkin sauce,camarones al ajillo
>(shrimp) or huachinango Veracruz(red snapper w/green olives)? How about
>huitalacoche (a strange but wnderful fungus)? Sorry to be a pain in the
>ass (and for any misspellings), but it's important to remember
>"Mexican" isn't a monolithic cuisine (Mark Lipton is a good resource on
>this IIRC).
>
>I still think the best all-purpose beverage is beer, that's especially
>true with very spicy Border/Tex-Mex cuisine.
>
>If you really want to drink wine, for flavorful (but not usually "hot")
>seafood dishes, I'd lean towards unwooded Sauvignon Blanc. An inexpensive
>sparkler (Rich's prosecco )is another good choice. For heavier dishes,
>with some heat (but not overwhelming),red Rhone varietals are usually
>way I'd go (though Zin or Sangiovese could work too).If you have
>something with a lot of heat, if you have to have wine, I'd try
>something with a bit of residual sugar.

Well said! The question is a lot like "what wine goes with American?"

A quick look at Rick Bayless' excellent cookbooks will highlight the
mistake that most Yanquis make when thinking of "Mexican food"--it
ain't primarily that insipid tortilla wrapped ground meat shrouded in
sticky red sauce and buried under shredded iceberg, tomato and cheddar
that we encounter when we seek to be "full". I'd rather be the pirate.
Ptui!

The usual Tex-Mex we encounter defies wine. If you absolutely must
have wine, then go with Sangria (home made, not store-bought) or maybe
a crisp, dry white such as Dale's suggestion of SB or maybe an Alsace
gewurtz.

But, if you're going to encounter some of those wonderful dishes that
Dale lists or you've got a Bayless "Jones" and are doing some creative
mole cooking or Yucatan inspired seafood, then you can spread your
wine-wings and fly. I'd agree here again with Zin or Sangiovese.

Mucho gusto.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org

Mat,

Mat wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking
for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a
slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or
even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or

> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of
heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot
noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as
well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying
to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.

As others have pointed it out, it really depends on what types of food
you will be eating; will it be northern mexican, oaxacan, something
from the Yucatan? Will it be fish, beef, pork?

The wines mis suegros drink with the meals when we are visiting, tend
to be on the sweeter side; however, I think this is more due to their
taste preference.

I would suggest waiting for another occaision for the pinot noir. If
you are looking at sticking to beef dishes, most I have encountered
have been of the grilled variety with very little spice added (more
central mexican cuisine I think), then the shiraz *might* work.

My preference when dining on Mexican food, tends to be either beer or a
Cuba libra. Also, there are some good tequilas out there that are great
for *sipping* with appetizers but that is another discussion...
Salud!
Tom AZ
alfazert at nwlink dot com

"Mat" wrote in message...

> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.

An inexpensive Spanish Chardonnay (nice and oaky) goes well with certain
fish dishes, if not too spicy. I make a white fish dish with tomatoes,
cilantro, garlic, olive oil, paprika (and a few more minor ingredients I
can't recall). It's said to be Mexican in origin, though seems very European
("old world") to me.

That's the extent of my limited knowledge on this topic, though I get many
compliments on both the food and the pairing. As other have mentioned,
Sangria is also an option (I much prefer to the sweeter whites you mention).

\/

"Ed Rasimus" > wrote in message
...
> On 14 Jan 2005 07:13:44 -0800, "DaleW" > wrote:
>
>
> Well said! The question is a lot like "what wine goes with American?"
>
> A quick look at Rick Bayless' excellent cookbooks will highlight the
> mistake that most Yanquis make when thinking of "Mexican food"--it
> ain't primarily that insipid tortilla wrapped ground meat shrouded in
> sticky red sauce and buried under shredded iceberg, tomato and cheddar
> that we encounter when we seek to be "full". I'd rather be the pirate.
> Ptui!
>
> The usual Tex-Mex we encounter defies wine. If you absolutely must
> have wine, then go with Sangria (home made, not store-bought) or maybe
> a crisp, dry white such as Dale's suggestion of SB or maybe an Alsace
> gewurtz.
I'll second the Sangria recommendation - my wife & I eat the local "Mexican"
frequently (our three favorite Mexican restaurants are owned by US citizens
who are from Mexico), and Sangria fits our taste, also is priced
appropriately for the average moderate cost Mexican meal.

Jim

In oups.com,
DaleW > typed:

> Are you going to serve the same wine with ceviche, Oaxacan
> enchiladas
> with mole, quesadilla surtidas (corn masa with cheese poblns,a
> and
> chicken), Yucatan chicken with pumpkin sauce,camarones al
> ajillo
> (shrimp) or huachinango Veracruz(red snapper w/green olives)?
> How
> about huitalacoche (a strange but wnderful fungus)? Sorry to be
> a
> pain in the ass (and for any misspellings), but it's important
> to
> remember "Mexican" isn't a monolithic cuisine (Mark Lipton is a
> good
> resource on this IIRC).


Exactly. It makes as much sense to ask "what wine to serve with
Mexican food?" as it does to ask,"what wine to serve with French
food?" or ,"what wine to serve with American food?"


> I still think the best all-purpose beverage is beer,


Allowing for the differences in Mexican food, and thinking
primarily of the typical Tex-Mex food you find in the USA, I
agree with you.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> This is absurd.
> European wines are meant to match European foods.

Actually, _that_ was absurd!

> Try beer.

Not a bad choice, but sangria would be OK too. Be sure to make it from
European (or better still, _Italian_) wine so as to annoy Mr. Scarpitti.
;^D

S moT

On 14/1/05 12:05 PM, in article , "Mat"
<Ask@me> wrote:


> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.

As already mentioned first choice would a Negra Modello (or two) closely
followed by James Squire Indian Pale Ale. Be wary of restaurant made Sangria
......most suck like a hoover.


wn

"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
I replied to another thread in this post. Prosecco. Let me tell you how I
came up with the paring::

Hot food, whether hot from spices or hot from peppers only gets hotter with
high alcohol . So I choose a wine that that is lower in alcohol, and has
some residual sugar. These wines tame the hot,spicy stuff, and also hold up
on their own. So Sauvignon Blanc would not work according to my scheme, but
Riesling and some bubble's would work.

Regards,
Rich

"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> opener before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
I replied to another thread in this post. Prosecco. Let me tell you how I
came up with the paring::

Hot food, whether hot from spices or hot from peppers only gets hotter with
high alcohol . So I choose a wine that that is lower in alcohol, and has
some residual sugar. These wines tame the hot,spicy stuff, and also hold up
on their own. So Sauvignon Blanc would not work according to my scheme, but
Riesling and some bubble's would work.

Regards,
Rich

Fernat Branca?

--
Joe "Beppe" Rosenberg
"Rich R" > wrote in message
m...
>
> "Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> > some ideas on wine matching.
> >
> > Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> > sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
> >
> > For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> > an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
> >
> > O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> > Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> > lashi or something like that.
> >
> >
> > So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> > reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> > I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
> >
> > I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> > "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an
> > opener before moving onto reds would be good.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks a lot,
> >
> > Mat.
> I replied to another thread in this post. Prosecco. Let me tell you how I
> came up with the paring::
>
> Hot food, whether hot from spices or hot from peppers only gets hotter
with
> high alcohol . So I choose a wine that that is lower in alcohol, and has
> some residual sugar. These wines tame the hot,spicy stuff, and also hold
up
> on their own. So Sauvignon Blanc would not work according to my scheme,
but
> Riesling and some bubble's would work.
>
> Regards,
> Rich
>
>

As has been pointed out, the type of Mexican food makes a major difference.
I recently had dinner at one of my favorites here in Houston that
specializes in cooking from the interior part of Mexico. Two of us had
chiles stuffed with pulled pork with a walnut cream sauce sprinkled with
pomegranets (sp?). I ordered a Novy Napa Syrah 2002 (Page Nord Vineyards)
that was absolutely perfect and went with the other two entrees that our
companions ordered. Very reasonably priced also --$38.00.

For most of our usual Tex-Mex hangouts we stick with good old Margaritas

--
Steve
"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm being taken to a Mexican resteraunt next week, and I'm looking for
> some ideas on wine matching.
>
> Most of the places I've looked have suggested chardonnay or a slightly
> sweeter white, even a riesling or gewurtztraminner.
>
> For a red, Californian zinfandel seems to be the recommendation. Or even
> an Aussie sparkler such as a sparkling shiraz.
>
> O, and beer seems to be another one. I gather spicier foods such as
> Indian, Thai, some Chinese is often a lot easier just to have beer or
> lashi or something like that.
>
>
> So I'm looking for some ideas. My collection consists mainly of heavier
> reds, shiraz and cab sauv mainly. I do have a nice bottle of pinot noir
> I've been looking forward to. Some blends like shiraz cabernet as well.
>
> I'd prefer red suggestions, but I have quite a few whites I am trying to
> "run down" as I rarely drink whites. However a bottle or two as an opener
> before moving onto reds would be good.
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Mat.
>

Hello,


Sorry I should have said "I have no idea what is on the menu or what I
will get, so can I get some generalised suggestions please."

Knowing what I like it will be some bum-burner full of spice.



I guess that is a problem with BYO, matching food to the wine rather
than vice-versa [buying wine at the restaurant].


Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They are quite good and helpful
and I will have a scout around today / tomorrow for some of your
suggestions.



Thanks a lot,

Mat.

Keith wrote:

> How about Crittenden i Rosato - it is a rosé wine made for drinking with
> food and has a wonderful acid balance that I think would go well with
> Mexican food. Otherwise a young riesling or semillon would be good.
>
> Save the pinot noir for some thing like duck or mushrooms!
>
>

You know I almost bought a number of bottles of that on heavy discount a
while ago, but relented as my "BBQ range" [I rarely drink whites outside
of a BBQ] was already bloated. It is still bloated. BBQ season has so
far been a bit pale here.

I have some young semillion, and riesling I really need to get into. My
memories of riesling are the sickly sweet cask whites mum used to drink.
*bleh*
I hear modern riesling can be quite fantastic.

Riesling in Australia unfortunately still has a damaged reputation because
of the sweet cask wine which wasn't even made from Riesling grapes but was
called Riesling. There is a lot of very good dry Riesling, particularly
from the Clare and Eden Valleys and Great Southern (West Australia). It is
a nice crisp citrussy wine and ages well too. They have been made that way
for a long time and used to go for a song - a little more in fashion now.


"Mat" <Ask@me> wrote in message ...
> Keith wrote:
>
>> How about Crittenden i Rosato - it is a rosé wine made for drinking with
>> food and has a wonderful acid balance that I think would go well with
>> Mexican food. Otherwise a young riesling or semillon would be good.
>>
>> Save the pinot noir for some thing like duck or mushrooms!
>>
>>
>
> You know I almost bought a number of bottles of that on heavy discount a
> while ago, but relented as my "BBQ range" [I rarely drink whites outside
> of a BBQ] was already bloated. It is still bloated. BBQ season has so far
> been a bit pale here.
>
> I have some young semillion, and riesling I really need to get into. My
> memories of riesling are the sickly sweet cask whites mum used to drink.
> *bleh*
> I hear modern riesling can be quite fantastic.
>
>
>