Learn the perfect pairing between our tamales and wine.
Simple Rajas con Queso Tamal
I really felt that this tamale would taste great with the right red OR white wine. Tangy spicy and rich, I decided to try this tamal with Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Ponga was one of the wines that I found at Lush. This wine was nice and tangy with a lively texture. Interestingly enough, this little light to medium bodied wine from Marlborough could stand up to the heat!! The lively acid in the sauce from this dish also brought out some interesting elements in the wine, leaving me with lingering elements of tropical pineapple and the Mexican herb epazote.
For the red pairing I enjoyed Pinot Noir. The 2006 Hamacher Pinot Noir from The Willamette Valley was surprisingly elegant with the dish. Such a lovely match weightwise! This wine has a nice balance of fruit to acid. The tomatoes in the sauce, paired with the green and spicy flavor of the rajas were excellent with the soft dark fruit and dusty rose in the wine.
For the red pairing I enjoyed Pinot Noir. The 2006 Hamacher Pinot Noir from The Willamette Valley was surprisingly elegant with the dish. Such a lovely match weightwise! This wine has a nice balance of fruit to acid. The tomatoes in the sauce, paired with the green and spicy flavor of the rajas were excellent with the soft dark fruit and dusty rose in the wine.
No One’s Tamal de Pollo
It’s those green flavors that really work well with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This sauce is very interesting, a silky rich and seductive texture!! Thickened with peanuts, every bite is alive with the fresh herbs. When I enjoyed this sauce with the Ponga Sauvignon Blanc, it just cut through all of that rich texture and made every single herb pop!!
CNDP again. Dark opulent fruit and an herbaceous background were an interesting juxtapose to the fresh flavors of the herbs in the sauce. Somehow they came together with seamless weight and texture, leaving an enchanting flavor and bringing out a youthful juiciness in the wine. This wine also really allowed me to really taste those delicious peanuts in the background.
CNDP again. Dark opulent fruit and an herbaceous background were an interesting juxtapose to the fresh flavors of the herbs in the sauce. Somehow they came together with seamless weight and texture, leaving an enchanting flavor and bringing out a youthful juiciness in the wine. This wine also really allowed me to really taste those delicious peanuts in the background.
Picturesque Tamal de Cochinita Pibil
The flavors of the Yucatan for me have always seemed very festive. Tropical spicy heat!! There is a wine that I tried in Lush recently that I loved!! I wanted for it to work with every dish. Mexican food and flavors can be a bit finicky. Thankfully, white wines from Italy, although food friendly can be just as finicky! The Valle Dell ‘Acate, another one of those obscure wines from Sicily made from the Grillo grape was up for the challenge!
This wine was soft and easy with this dish, standing up to that habanero heat and mirroring the earthy flavors of the dish, but still maintaining the fresh and sultry tropical fruits that keep this dish exciting!!!
Bright tomatoes paired with tropical spicy heat. A wine with dark rich and spicy fruit were the answer for me. The 2005 Comenge Ribero del Duero tempranillo! This wine has a fantastic velvety texture and just the perfect weight to pair with this tamal. Elegant yet rustic.
This wine was soft and easy with this dish, standing up to that habanero heat and mirroring the earthy flavors of the dish, but still maintaining the fresh and sultry tropical fruits that keep this dish exciting!!!
Bright tomatoes paired with tropical spicy heat. A wine with dark rich and spicy fruit were the answer for me. The 2005 Comenge Ribero del Duero tempranillo! This wine has a fantastic velvety texture and just the perfect weight to pair with this tamal. Elegant yet rustic.
Complicate Tamal de Carne
Molé Negro can be very hard to pair with wine. It has so many ingredients and a complexity of flavors that are hard to describe. It is a sauce that makes you stop and think. The route that I often take is Zinfandel. Something with a bit of darker fruit to bring out all of the rich and savory goodness of this Tamal. Interestingly enough, one pairing that I enjoyed with this tamale was a funny little field blend that I found at Lush. Traviesito (little trouble maker) was a really thoughtful match. The fruit in the wine was deep and dark, a characteristic of the Petite Sirah grape. The primary variety of this wine. Thankfully, there is a lovely juiciness in this wine to help cut through all of the rich and decadent flavors in this dish inspired by one of my favorite molés, the king of molés, MOLÉ NEGRO.
Suntuoso Tamal de Puerco
This molé has always been one of my favorites. It’s savory sweet and spicy all at the same time. For me there are two very clear directions to take when enjoying wine with this decadent sauce. Riesling or Zinfandel. The Huff Riesling trocken was delicious just as I suspected. Especially enjoyable when I got one those little surprise pieces of pineapple! This dry Riesling really allowed me to deconstruct the many flavors of the mole sauce. Delicious!
Zinfandel is a classic pairing for this molé. If you can find the right one this can be a really enchanting pairing. I chose the Neyers 2006 vintage zinfandel from the Pato vineyard in Contra Costa. Dark spicy alluring fruit in this wine really shows all of the depth of flavor in the molé.
Zinfandel is a classic pairing for this molé. If you can find the right one this can be a really enchanting pairing. I chose the Neyers 2006 vintage zinfandel from the Pato vineyard in Contra Costa. Dark spicy alluring fruit in this wine really shows all of the depth of flavor in the molé.
Delicate Tilapia
Juicy and slightly effervescent acid from the 2009 Huff Riesling Spatlese Trocken, a bottle that I found in my journey to Lush was my favorite wine with the Poblano cream sauce. Riesling also knows how to bring out the lovely aromatics in Hoja Santa, the herb essence that is infused into the masa on this tamal, and a flavor that seemed to be lingering in the background of this wine.
Hamacher Pinot Noir again with this dish, but for another reason entirely! Yes, it definitely worked well with the poblano in the sauce, but when this silky textured wine married with the velvety texture of this sauce, it became something special!!
Dynamic Roasted Beets & Goat cheese
Wow!!! This was a revelation for me! Never being a huge fan of beets, this pairing became my favorite moment of the evening. I thought about the goat cheese and the delicate nature of the garlic and morita sauce and decided to try champagne. The Duval-Leroy NV Brut was a wine that I knew to have a lovely mousse and a delicious nuttiness. This pairing was simply elegant. The soft bubbles cut through the richness of the goat cheese and brought out something deliciously floral in the beets. Even better, the acid in the wine allowed you to taste ever so slightly, little bursts of the spicy morita chile in the sauce.
This dish is probably pretty wine friendly if you would prefer a red wine. Something old world with a medium body would probably be best. When I thought of the combination of tangy goat cheese with the earthiness and slight sweetness from the beets, paired with the delicate savory sauce, I thought of Chateau Neuf de Pape. A dusty wine with enough fruit to stand up to the tasty but modest spice in the sauce and just enough earth to pair with the beets.
Juicy and slightly effervescent acid from the 2009 Huff Riesling Spatlese Trocken, a bottle that I found in my journey to Lush was my favorite wine with the Poblano cream sauce. Riesling also knows how to bring out the lovely aromatics in Hoja Santa, the herb essence that is infused into the masa on this tamal, and a flavor that seemed to be lingering in the background of this wine.
Hamacher Pinot Noir again with this dish, but for another reason entirely! Yes, it definitely worked well with the poblano in the sauce, but when this silky textured wine married with the velvety texture of this sauce, it became something special!!
Dynamic Roasted Beets & Goat cheese
Wow!!! This was a revelation for me! Never being a huge fan of beets, this pairing became my favorite moment of the evening. I thought about the goat cheese and the delicate nature of the garlic and morita sauce and decided to try champagne. The Duval-Leroy NV Brut was a wine that I knew to have a lovely mousse and a delicious nuttiness. This pairing was simply elegant. The soft bubbles cut through the richness of the goat cheese and brought out something deliciously floral in the beets. Even better, the acid in the wine allowed you to taste ever so slightly, little bursts of the spicy morita chile in the sauce.
This dish is probably pretty wine friendly if you would prefer a red wine. Something old world with a medium body would probably be best. When I thought of the combination of tangy goat cheese with the earthiness and slight sweetness from the beets, paired with the delicate savory sauce, I thought of Chateau Neuf de Pape. A dusty wine with enough fruit to stand up to the tasty but modest spice in the sauce and just enough earth to pair with the beets.
|
|
