Finding the right wine for enchiladas Verdes when browsing wine lists is easy when you know what to look for. Wine pairings for Mexican food ultimately depend on using three principles: contrast, compliment, and personal taste. For now, let’s jump ahead to provide specific wine-pairing tips.
White Wine Pairings For Enchiladas Verdes
The most popular pairing for enchilada is white wines. This is partly because combining white wines traditionally pairs well with white meat, like a chicken. Simply asking for white wine when visiting a Mexican restaurant isn’t enough. Which white wine option is suitable for your meal? Here are some outstanding wines with enchiladas to look for in your local store.
Full-bodied Chardonnay.
Chardonnay wines are your friend, especially white wines from Burgundy. It’s hard to do better than a glass of Petit Chablis.
Ramey Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay ($71)
This Russian River Valley chardonnay wine has earned a 98 score from Wine Enthusiast. The wine has 14.5% alcohol content. The flavor profile includes ginger, lemon, and solid acidity. It’s a well-regarded buttery Chardonnay from California.
Penfolds Reserve Bin A Chardonnay ($63)
This Australian producer has an excellent reputation which includes white wines. The Australian Chardonnay’s flavor profile includes citrus fruit (i.e., lemon and lime) and classic tree fruit notes like peach and green apple. This wine is aged in oak barrels and comes with butter and vanilla notes. Find out more about the Penfolds Winery.
Riesling Wine.
This white wine is known for its refreshing quality. The acidity content in a Riesling wine contrasts the spice notes in this type of food. Instead of a semi-sweet Riesling wine, it is usually better to choose a dry Riesling wine to accompany your Mexican meal.
The following wine bottles below will give you a starting point for your Riesling selection. For additional ideas, see my guide to the best Riesling wine.
Red Newt Cellars Dry Riesling ($18)
Produced in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, this wine has earned an 89 score from wine expert Jancis Robinson. The flavor profile offers apple and peach notes. With 11.8-13.2% alcohol content, it is a lower alcohol option than some Chardonnay bottles.
Peter Jakob Kuhn Doosberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs ($45)
This certified organic Riesling wine from Germany is special. The wine is distinguished by its mineral notes. It also stands out in the aromatic whites category—a great wine pick for when you want to take a moment to savor your wine.
Red Wine Pairings.
Pinot Noir wine is typically considered your best bet for this Mexican dish. Are you looking for other dishes to enjoy with your bottle of Pinot Noir? Check out my detailed guide to Pinot Noir food pairing guide.
Try one of these Pinot Noir bottles to give your taste buds a wonderful experience.
Foxen Bien Nacido Vineyard Block Eight Pinot Noir ($65)
Produced in the Santa Maria Valley, this Pinot Noir has earned a truly impressive 98 score from Wine Enthusiast. The flavor profile includes a combination of raspberry, meat, and some floral notes. According to the Foxen Vineyard and Winery, the wine has 14.2% alcohol content. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 16 months to develop its flavor.
Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir ($40)
This New Zealand Pinot wine is notable for its vegan production process. The wine’s flavor profile includes enjoyable earthy and mineral notes. The screw tap wine is rich, so that it can keep up with the spice element in Mexican food.
The Three Wine Pairing Principles That Always Work
Choosing a chicken enchilada wine pairing is easier when you know these three concepts. What if the wine suggestions above are not available at your favorite restaurant? There are a few simple principles to keep in mind. I learned the first two principles in the book Big Macs & Burgundy.
Contrasting
The contrasting principle is the food-wine equivalent of “opposites attract.” The contrast principle is all about variety! For example, it can be wonderful to balance intense flavors in food with the bubbles of sparkling wines. Using a contrasting pairing is a great idea when you have robust food flavors,
Congruent
This principle means that food and wine share similar qualities. For example, an off-dry wine (i.e., a wine that is sweeter than a dry wine) tends to pair better with sweeter foods.
Personal Taste
Enjoying good wine is ultimately a personal experience. If you have a favorite wine, enjoy it by all means! Food-wine pairing tips are ultimately suggestions to help you discover new experiences.
When first starting in wine, you may not have enough experience to know what you like. In that case, trying a wide variety of wine and food combinations is best to discover which you like the best.
What Is Enchiladas Verdes?
This popular chicken dish is defined by its green sauces (i.e., Verdes is the Spanish word for green). The green sauce is made up of three ingredients: tomatillos, serrano peppers, and white onion., Of course, the specific items used to make the sauce mixture varies depending on your taste.
Knowing the ingredients in this popular Mexican food will help you to make better food & wine choices. Typically, the ingredients to make this dish include the following.
- small green tomatillos
- serrano peppers
- Garlic cloves
- vegetable oil
- corn tortillas
- chicken bouillon granules
- rotisserie chicken
- iceberg lettuce
- cilantro
- Mexican crema (i.e., crema fresca)
- cotija cheese
This dish is an excellent choice for healthy eating ideas because it is low-calorie. According to AllRecipes, a single serving of enchiladas Verdes contains approximately 304 calories. If you substantially increase the cheese ingredients (e.g., add in a lot of cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack), the calorie count will probably be higher.
Wine For Enchiladas Verdes Conclusion
Pairing wine and Enchiladas together is simple when you keep a few points in mind. Three wines typically work well: Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. It’s tough to go wrong by starting with those wines. When you make enchiladas Verdes with an above-average amount of spices, a full-bodied wine like a well-oaked Chardonnay is your best bet.
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