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What Wine Goes with Burritos?

10.11.10

Tex-Mex is a staple for me. I love great salsa’s and the flavor combinations of tomatoes, avocadoes, black beans, and peppers. Though the hot dishes do not sit well with me, the great thing about Tex-Mex is that the other individual flavors are so strong they do not need the heat.

Burritos are fun because they can be stuffed with absolutely anything. The stuffing determines the best wine pairing and it follows the general rules we have discussed previously. If the stuffing is hot and spicy, light alcohol, low tannin, slightly sweet wines are the best. If the stuffing is chicken, pulled pork, or mostly white mild cheese, then a dry white or semi-sweet wine is good. A beef or lamb stuffed burrito goes great with big reds. However, remember that it is the strongest flavor to which we pair the wine. If you add different sauces and ingredients to the basic burritos mentioned above, then the wine pairing will correspondingly change.

Currently my favorite is a black bean burrito with fresh tomatoes, mild green salsa, and cumin dusted rice.  For me, this combo goes great with Pinot Grigio, Merrill’s Vineyard Riesling, and even the barrel reserve Pinot Noir. As a matter of fact, if I add some Cabernet poached shredded mushrooms, my favorite wine is the Messina Hof Cabernet Franc. Yum!