#WinePW – Wines from Valle de Guadalupe

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend Group headed South of the Border to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  The challenge was to pair Mexican cuisine with an appropriate wine and not tequila or cerveza, the traditional pairings.

Mexico is not renowned for wine, yet every year I see various articles about Mexico being a burgeoning region for food and wine.  Food I get.  I’m a huge fan of Rick Bayless and understand that Mexican cuisine is more than Taco Bell, Del Taco, or whatever “authentic” Mexican restaurant you can find locally. But wine is a different story.  I found it difficult to grasp that among the cactus, agave, and marijuana plants Mexico was producing quality wines that would be appealing to my palate.

The Valle de Guadalupe region is located between Tecate and Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico, about 200 miles south from our home in Palm Springs, and less than 90 miles from San Diego.  I was surprised to learn that wine has been made in Mexico since the 1500’s.  According to Wine Spectator, the quality of Mexican wine has drastically improved over the past two decades, and the wineries have been pairing up with chefs and hoteliers to create Baja California’s Ruta del Vino (wine route) encompassing over 100 wineries that produce 90% of Mexico’s wines.

The usual warm-weather red and white grape varietals are grown in the region with a degree of success.  In fact Paul Hobbs has been quoted as saying one of the top 25 Nebbiolo grapes he has tasted was from L. A. Cetto Vineyards, with the other 24 being from Italy.  For this month’s challenge, we purchased three L.A. Cetto wines from the region (Chardonnay—see Wine Pairing Weekend South of the Border, Nebbiolo, and Cabernet Sauvignon).  Our expectations were low, but we are adventurous and eager to learn something new along the way.

I consider Rick Bayless a culinary god.  His food has a depth of flavor and cohesiveness that rivals anyone cooking in a more classic genre.  For this wine pairing challenge, we selected a Carne Asada recipe from Rick Bayless’s new book “More Mexican Everyday.”  The Carne Asada was accompanied by a spicy guacamole and tomatillo salsa, and beans with pork.  The Carne Asada, salsa, and beans had complimentary layers of flavor that originated from the garlic, tomatillo, and jalapenos common to each.  The meal packed a little heat but nothing that scorched your taste buds to numbness.

We did a side-by-side comparison of the 2010 L.A. Cetto Nebbiolo Private Reserve ($17.99 Total Wine) and the 2009 L.A. Cetto Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve ($18.95 Total Wine) with our Carne Asada feast.  The wines blew us away.  They are not HALL or Spottswoode, but were really approachable and food friendly wines that paired well with the Carne Asada, and would do just as well with other grilled meats. spicy dishes, and moles.  Their time spent in oak barrels and bottle, plus their lower alcoholic volume, undoubtedly tempered the region’s tendency towards full-bodied wines high in alcohol, with lusty black-fruit flavors and some heat and/or saltiness derived from the saline-rich water used for irrigation.

The 2010 L.A. Cetto Nebbiolo Private Reserve is a deep ruby red color.  It is subtle and elegant with a little heat that is balanced by fruit.  The wine is clear and bright on the palate with hints of tobacco and dark fruit. At only 13.5% alcohol it not overpowering, yet it holds up well with spicy food.  It is barrel aged for 12 months in French oak and bottle aged for 2 years.  This is a very versatile red wine.

The 2009 L.A. Cetto Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is deep purple in color.  The nose is fuller than its sibling’s with more perfume and hints of tobacco, vanilla, and oak.  It is aged 14 months in new French oak and bottle aged 3 years.  On the palate you can actually taste a little of the oak.  It is also 13.5% alcohol by volume and is very well balanced.  This is not a classic Cabernet Sauvignon, but it is a very food friendly and enjoyable red wine.

I wish more restaurants that specialize in Mexican cuisine would add wine from the Valle de Guadalupe region.  If so, perhaps you would see more effort made to create wine pairings with old and new Mexican cuisine.  In the future I certainly will be interspersing my beloved Margaritas with quality wines from the Valle de Guadalupe whenever possible.

For more wine pairing inspiration check out what the Wine Pairing Weekend Group paired for you this month:

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Cam has prepared “Dry-Rubbed Tri Tip Roast with Halter Ranch ‘s 2011 Cotes de Paso”

Cindy from Grape Experiences “Wine and Dine for #winePW: Matanegra Vendimia Seleccionada 2010 and Queso Fundido”

David from Cooking Chat is pairing “Spanish Wine for Pork Tacos”

Jennifer from Vino Travels mixes it up with “Mexican meets Italian: Fish Tacos with Stemmari Sparkling Grillo”

Lori from Dracaena Wines “Mexican Musings on #WinePW”

Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog “Chicken Pipian Verde, Mexican Quinoa and the Devil’s Collection White”

Michelle from Rockin Red Blog “Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with #WinePW”

Nancy from Pull That Cork “Spicy Chicken Salad with Guacamole and a South African Rose for #winePW”

Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere presents “Carnitas and the Basics of Mexican Food & Wine Pairing”

Wendy from A Day in the Life on a Farm is bring us Veggie Quesadillas with and old vine Nisia from Spain

Join us at 11 am EST/8 am PCT for a live twitter chat on Saturday May, 9th by using the hashtag #winePW .

Stay tuned for more details about the next Wine Pairing Weekend event on Saturday, June 13th.