Twenty years ago I spent my first summer studying in Mexico.   I found the people warm, enlightening, generous in spirit and gifted at taking time to enjoy that which matters most:   family, daily life, that which they have and that which surrounds them.    It was an easy lifestyle to embrace:  so I returned the two following summers and later lived for a year in Mexico City.    Going to Mexico was not about just touring a fancy resort or seeing the sights, but instead it was about spending time with the people that I met there, getting to know them and their families and learning about a generosity towards others that is often lacking in the hectic pace of the American daily lifestyle.    While I have never forgotten the people that I met in Mexico, the memories associated with those days came unexpectedly flooding back this past weekend.

Over the weekend, I had decided to go wine tasting and to start the research for my upcoming weekly article.    I had heard positive things about a winery named Havens and that it had a noteworthy Albariño.   So I decided to stop in to taste on a hot afternoon.     Upon arriving, I was greeted by an openly friendly staff member and other visitors who were seated around an old weathered picnic table beneath some oak trees in front of the winery.   I was immediately invited to take a seat and join them, even though they were in the midst of their tasting flight.    I sat there at the old picnic table swirling some Albariño in my glass, shaded from the hot sun under the canopy of the oak trees, and savored the wine’s initial crisp acidity, minerality, pear and citrus fruit.    I experienced a relaxed sense of refreshment akin to that which I found twenty years ago on weekends spent at ranches in Mexico, where I had enjoyed wine and food around a table much like this, in the shade of trees and in the company of good people.     

People often first think of pairing beer with Mexican food, however, there are a number of wines that can go with good authentically prepared Mexican food.   Much like the United States, Mexico has its own regional cuisines and depending on where you are in the country you will find different spices in sauces:  some mild, some semi-sweet, and some with a feisty degree of heat.   One of the wines that I believe that can pair well with Mexican food is Albariño.

Albariño is a white wine grape that originally hails from Galicia, Spain.   It is in this northwestern region of Spain where the weather is cool, windy and rainy (which is ideal for growing Albariño).   Albariño produces a unique white wine that boasts characteristics of several different white wine grapes, but all within one wine.    Because Albariño grapes tend to have a thicker skin, they can produce a very aromatic perfumed bouquet much like Viognier.   However, unlike Viognier (but similar to some Sauvignon Blancs), Albariño has a very crisp acidity in the body of the wine.    Add an undeniable lime citrus flavor, some minerality with other fruit flavors and you are drinking Albariño.   To my knowledge there are only a few Albariños produced in California, three of which are found at the following wineries in Napa Valley:   (i) Havens Wine Cellars (“Havens”); (ii) Artesa Vineyards and Winery (“Artesa”); and (iii) Hendry.  

While Havens is located just south of Yountville, its Albariño vines are strategically planted in the Carneros region of Napa Valley.    The Carneros region is commonly known for the coastal breezes, cooler temperatures during both the day and night, plenty of rain in the winter and moisturizing overnight fog the rest of the year.    In other words, the weather in this part of Napa Valley is much like the weather found in Galicia, Spain.    Artesa is actually located in the Carneros region and its Albariño grapes are estate grown.    Hendry, abutting the base of Mt. Veeder, is a neighbor to the famed Carneros region and thus its estate grown Albariño grapes are able to benefit from some of the same weather conditions.    While all three of these wineries have Albariño wine, each winery’s wine differs slightly from the others:

1)      Albariño – Havens:   Is a very nice balanced dry white wine.    Delicious pear and lime greet your nose and palate, accompanied by Albariño’s characteristic acidity.   The acidity, however, is not overwhelming to your taste buds thereby lending the wine to be compatible with a wider range of food, such as certain Mexican dishes, fish tacos, seafood, and other carefully selected spices.  Additionally, since the wine is dry, it is well-suited to cooking and being incorporated into a recipe.

2)     Albariño – Artesa:   Unlike Havens’ wine, Artesa’s Albariño is not dry and instead has a fuller body, which is evidenced in its coloring which offers a warm deeper golden hue.   On the nose I find lime and honeysuckle blooms.    As typical with Albariño, the acidity is present in this wine, although I find it to be slightly less than Havens’ Albariño.    With respect to food, this wine goes well with seafood, but (as I found out later with my Spanish Rice, see below) due to its fuller body, the Artesa Albariño readily goes toe to toe with spicier Mexican dishes.   If you find yourself at Artesa on a hot summer day, sit out on their beautiful deck overlooking the Carneros region and savor its Albariño.   You will not be disappointed and will want to leave with at least one bottle in hand.

3)     Albariño – Hendry:    Is similar to the Havens’ Albariño, in that this is a dry style Albariño.   The perfumed bouquet on the nose, however, is different from the other wines listed above.   The nose on Hendry’s Albariño is very floral, often times depicting an aroma of orange blossom.   On the palate there is a traditional flavor of citrus lime, but its acidity is the sharpest of the three wines mentioned here.   This wine is a light crisp affair, but it is somewhat cheeky in how it flirts with food.  In my opinion it embodies the adage that “sometimes less is more”.    This is in no means a negative criticism of the wine but instead an observation that will assist in food pairings.    Sporting a casual simple elegance on the palate, this wine goes well with simple seafood such as mussels, or even an Oaxacan style guacamole (consisting of avocado, cilantro and green onion).   If you are fortunate, when you visit Hendry, you might have the opportunity to sit down and taste with owner, grower and winemaker George Hendry and learn about why he personally enjoys this wine so much and why he chose to grow the grapes.

Taking into consideration the individual attributes of the three wines presented above, I decided that I wanted to incorporate Havens’ Albariño into my menu plan and cooking for this week:

1)      Lime-spritzed Avocado Dressed With Fresh Salsa Cruda and White Corn Tortilla Chips;

 

2)     Spanish Rice with Garden Fresh Zucchini; and

 

3)     Potosino Style Chicken Enchiladas with Sweet Sautéed Vidalia Onion and Jack Cheese.

Generally enchiladas take some time to prepare and as the cook I am not available to entertain.  Serving a simple appetizer such as Lime-spritzed Avocado with Salsa Cruda and tortilla chips not only entertains your guests but also delightfully engages the Albariño served alongside.     Avocado works almost magically and cuts the acidity in the wine.    It coaxes the wine back into a different style of balance and the result is a fun and festive appetizer accompanied by a crisp refreshing citrus-like wine.  

As initially stated above, sauces used in authentic Mexican cooking do not always strive to obliterate your taste buds with extreme spice or heat.   Instead, chilies and spices can be combined to create a savory semi-sweet spicy enchilada sauce.    When pairing Mexican food with Albariño, ensuring a balance of spice and sweetness is crucial in order to ensure that the wine itself will not be overpowered by the food.    Choosing to mirror the red enchilada sauce indigenous to San Luis Potosi, Mexico (which is mildly spicy with a hint of sweetness), the Potosino Enchilada Sauce that I created for this meal presents a tangy zip which accomplishes this goal.  When I prepared my traditional Spanish Rice, I made sure to include a half cup of my Potosino Enchilada Sauce to balance the spices in the rice and tie it to the main entrée.   The Havens’ Albariño steps up to the plate, as its acidity and minerality greet the spices in the sauce and its lime notes are intrinsically compatible with this style of authentic Mexican fare. 

Prior to preparing my enchiladas, I decided to brine my chicken overnight in a cup of Havens’ Albariño.    This allows the poultry to take on the flavor of the wine and helps to ensure adequate moisture when it cooked atop my charcoal grill.    Once it was grilled, I sampled a small juicy piece and sure enough, all of the flavors of the wine had been embraced by the chicken.    Adding some chopped sautéed sweet Vidalia onions and some of my Potosino Enchilada Sauce to the chicken, I then heated it in a skillet so that the flavors would blend just a bit more.   

After the enchiladas were prepared and served alongside the wine, the acidity of the Havens’ Albariño lessened and the citrus flavors deepened with a richer flavor setting forth a certain complexity and depth otherwise not apparent when the wine is consumed without food.   

If paired properly, Albariño will not disappoint.   Instead it will transport you to a time when life was simpler, the company was good and not a worry was present nor to be found.  In other words, anything else can wait until “mañana” provided that the food is good, the Albariño is chilled and that you are sharing the moment with others.   So as the sun heats up this summer, whether you find yourself at the beach or in your backyard, reach for a cool, crisp Albariño and enjoy it in “el estilo casual”.  

*If you are interested in Havens’ Albariño, I recommend that you “run not walk” to purchase some to enjoy over the course of the summer.     Word of advice:   contact the winery first to ensure the day and time when it is open for tasting.    If you enjoyed learning about Cabernet Franc last week, you will also be pleased to find a fun Cabernet Franc Rose and a deliciously well-blended Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend sold on site as well.