Our Wine Pairing Weekend group explores a wide variety of wine and food pairings each month. Sometimes we have general categories such as a spring wine and food pairing, other times we have more specific pairings to explore. In May 2015 our Cinco de Mayo theme had us pairing wine with Mexican cuisine. This year Lori Budd with Draceana Wines is taking last year’s theme to a more specific challenge: wine and enchilada pairings.

Enchiladas originated in Mexico and are recorded as dating back to the times of the Mayans. A Spaniard in Mexico in the 16^th century recorded a feast that included food wrapped in tlaxcalli, the indigenous Nahuati name for corn flat bread until the Spanish changed it to tortilla. Enchiladas were mentioned in the first Mexican cookbook, El cocinero mexicano (The Mexican Chef), published in 1831.

As luck would have it, just days before Draceana Wines suggested our May #WinePW theme of enchiladas and wine I read an absolutely delicious recipe for Chorizo and Beef Enchiladas with Cheesy Hatch Chili Sauce by Another Food Blogger. It is one of my favorite food blogs and I have made many delicious recipes from this blog. There were two things that caught my eye about this enchilada recipe; first the pictures of the enchiladas made my mouth water, second every summer Hatch chili season comes to Texas with big festivals at Whole Food and Central Market and I never really know what to make with these Hatch chilis. When it came time in May to make these enchiladas I realized I had a slight problem; no Hatch chilis. You see fresh Hatch chilis are only available in North Texas in August! I reached out to Another Food Blogger on social media seeking her advice. The solution for substituting peppers: 3 roasted poblanos with 1 roasted jalapeño.

I wanted to serve the enchiladas to my family on a Monday but knew Monday was going to be a busy work day so I made them on Sunday. I am so glad I did! These enchiladas are time consuming to make; however, the results are well worth it! These enchiladas were outstanding! My 17 year old son told me it was “one of the best things I have ever made.” My husband loved them. I loved them. The time was so well worth it! Furthermore, these would make a great dish to serve guests and can easily be made the day before and reheated. I added a side salad and we had a great Monday night meal!

Sometimes in pairing food and wine I start with the wine and craft a meal to pair with it. Other times, like this time, I start with a meal and find a wine to pair with it. I had these amazing enchiladas, now what wine to pair with them.

Argento Reserva Torrontes 2008: golden straw in the glass; grapefruit, lime juice and zest, white nectarines, melons, lychee, grassy notes, and white floral notes leap from the glass; on the palate a strong lime zest leads a racy acidity in a crisp, clean wine. This 100% Torrontes is crafted from grapes grown in the Salta region of Argentina.

 

 

 

Because the wine had lovely fruit notes with a slight grassiness I found it a lovely pairing with the enchiladas. My husband agreed. The spice to the enchiladas came on the back end and built slightly over the course of the meal. If the spice would have been more pronounced I would have selected a different wine; however, since the spice was subdued and Torrontes is such a fresh, fruity, and crisp white wine it was a lovely pairing. Furthermore, I found the crisp Torrontes a refreshing combination with the beef and chorizo in the enchiladas. Could you pair a red wine? Sure. Just make sure it is light and fruit forward such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais or Nero d’Avola. A rosé wine would work as well.

About Bodegas Argento from their web site:

The winery is located at Cruz de Piedra, Maipú, in the Central Region of Mendoza. It is a building from the year 1970 which was designed by architect ‘Chicho’ Pitela. The structure is of Mediterranean style with wide galleries, arcades and vitreaux which confer a really warm illumination and grant the place with an environment that reflects the one from where the vineyards are grown. The winery is surrounded byvineyards and olive trees that overlook the mountain range, from which Tupungato hill and the renowned Cordón del Plata must be highlighted.

Bodega Argento embraces a constant spirit of improvement by linking technology with passion, art, knowledge and the Argentinian oenological tradition with the clear goal of respecting both sustainability and the environment.

We are very proud of our country’s viticultural heritage and Mendoza’s unique terroir, and we devote ourselves to making wines that emphasize the characteristics of the style and spirit of Bodega Argento’s wines: fruit purity, freshness, intensity, elegance, balance, and the maximum expression of the vineyard –terroir– where the grapes come from.

At Bodega Argento we are passionate about bringing the maximum expression of the terroir where the grapes come from into each wine. Our wines combine the complexity of the best terroirs in Mendoza with fruit purity.

Take a moment to explore my fellow #WinePW friend’s enchilada and wine pairings:

Grape Experiences: Wine and Dine: Condes de Albarei 2014 and Goat Cheese Enchiladas

FoodWineClick: Taste Test: Wines for Spicy Food.

L’occasion: Chipotle Pinot Noir Enchiladas.

Pull That Cork: Mom’s Enchiladas and Casillero del Diablo Wines for #winePW

Un Assaggio of Wine, Wine & Marriage: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas #winePW

Curious Cuisiniere: Chicken and Cheese Entomatadas: Pairing Tomatoes with Wine

A Day in the Life on a Farm:  Elderberry Sangria.

Dracaena Wines: Enchiladas and Trousseau Gris; Could It Be?

My Song Selection: This was a fun pairing with a delicious, lively wine. Therefore, I am pairing it with a fun and lively song perfect for our transition from spring into summer.

Please join our conversation this morning at Twitter using #WinePW to share your favorite enchilada and wine pairings! Additionally, join us next month as we dive into rosé wine and food pairings.

Get your own bottle of Argento Torrontes and pair it with your favorite enchiladas and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!