Food & Wine Pairings- Latino Style

November 20, 2012

As Latinos it is safe to assume that some Latin American-inspired food will make its way to our holiday table. In our last article we gave our recommendation for what we feel is the ultimate wine for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, this week we asked some of our Latino vintners what food and wine pairing suggestions they have to share. Rios Wine Company, whose labels are Solovino and Mixto, had great suggestions for traditional foods. For example, a Christmas Prime Rib would go great with their rich and robust Solovino Cabernet Sauvignon. Vintner, Sheila Rios, suggests their Sauvignon Blanc would go great with the turkey and stuffing..we also think it would go great with ceviche. Last but not least, Solovino makes a slightly sweet Riesling, that would be wonderful with a first course such as will cheese, fruit, or just with great conversation (A sweeter late harvest wine or port would be better with dessert). Sciandri Family Vineyards Latin roots span the Atlantic Ocean, mixing their Mexican and Italian heritages together. Their holiday and party tables always boast homemade Italian and Mexican foods. It’s probably the best place to get meatballs and ceviche all at once. We asked Rebecca Sciandri Griffin how the Sciandri wines, which are big reds from their vineyard in the Coombsville area of Napa, how their wines pair with the holidays. This is what she had to say, “Sciandri's Coombsville Cuvée, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, is the perfect wine for a Thanksgiving meal. This wine was made to play nice with food. Our family blends Italian and Mexican traditions, so we needed a wine that would compliment a wide variety of flavors. So, whether you are cooking a traditional Turkey with all the fixings or making something sensational with earthy red chile adobo sauces, our super-supple blend with deep berry flavors, can cushion the most robust of seasonings.” One thing Rebecca forgot to mention is how their big and earthy cab pairs well with a cold winter’s night and a fireplace!

One of the pioneers for Latinos in the wine industry, Gustavo Brambila, pointed out that his Barbera or 3^rd Bottle White pair wonderfully with his wife’s tequila and lime marinated chicken fajitas. However, when it comes to winter, the Brambilas love stews and they have found that with their busy lives the slow cooker is their friend. Mrs. Brambila makes a beef stew with tomato, red wine, and oregano which just begs for the 3^rd Bottle Red, and her spicy pot roast with Serrano chiles, cilantro, and cumin begs for their beautiful Rutherford Cabernet. Also, we can’t forget Lodi’s Pondl winery. Partner, David Lujan, is actually quite passionate about pairing salsas with their wines. While it can be tricky to pair anything spicy with wine what they have realized is that their light and crisp chardonnay pairs beautifully with guacamole. We hope you find these suggestions helpful as we enter the holiday season. If you have any specific food and wine pairing questions please let us know and we’ll put it out to our winery partners. All of these wineries and wines can be found on the internet or via VinoLatinoWineClub.com. We hope you’ll add some Latin American flavor to your holidays while also making sure there are Latino made wines in your glass!

Last but not least, no holiday is complete without dessert. Martinez & Martinez Winery out of Washington loves to pair their Selina Mechelle Orange Muscat Dessert Wine, which is a port style wine. Knowing how busy the holidays could be, Monica Martinez, gave us this simple perfect pairing recipe: It is a sweet treat as opposed to an opposite pairing but because the cookie is a little sour and the O.M. a little sweet, but not too sweet, it pairs very nice for an after dinner desert with port. The recipe is: I box vanilla wafers blended in the food processer 1/4 c. Orange juice concentrate 1c. Powdered sugar 1/4 c. melted butter Combine all the ingredients and then form into balls. Roll the balls in powdered sugar to make them look like a "snowball”. Cheers!! Photo Credits: Martinez & Martinez Winery, Gustavo Thrace Winery