Wine and Latin American Cuisine

When it comes to food and wine pairing, nothing is set in stone. This makes giving general recommendations a somewhat scary proposition. Some say pairing is entirely subjective; others add cultural and geographic references to the mix; many stress the importance of predisposition; certain professionals insist similarity provides the most satisfying matches whereas others point to contrast as yielding the most interesting pairings. The list is endless.

If on top of that, we’re asked to create wine pairings with Latin American cuisine—with all the complexity, variety, scope and richness this entails—one gets the strong urge to run for the hills. But I'm still here. The initial scare is over; time to regroup and forge ahead.

Let's get down to details. Latin America consists of twenty countries and covers over twenty-two million square kilometers. Compare that to Spain's surface area—a little over half a million—and the vast gastronomic differences it holds, and we get a sense of the magnitude of the task at hand. So let's be practical and focus on the countries that have generated the greatest level of interest in Spain: Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Peru

In recent years, Peruvian cuisine has carved out its niche among the leading food trends in Spain. Add the richness of the Amazon to indigenous and criollo recipes plus Asian (Japanese and Chinese) influences, and the result is a fascinating food culture. Its fresh, original, exotic attributes and the fusion of ingredients—sourced from the sea and the jungle— have won over the palates of people eager to explore new culinary terrain. Among the champions of this trend is Japanese-Peruvian chef Nobu Matsuhisa. This form of cultural fusion, known as nikkei, has risen to the level of haute cuisine, enjoyed at restaurants like Albert Adrià's Pakta in Barcelona or Luis Arévalo's Kena in Madrid.

What should we drink with it? Crisp wines with a good amount of acidity. We could opt for a bubbly, a Macabeo white, a sparkling rosé or...how about an Albariño?

If there is one chef whose name is synonymous with Peruvian cuisine it is Gastón Acurio. You'll find his culinary creations at restaurants like AyG and Tanta in Madrid. The primary focus of his work is to promote his country's gastronomy, not just fusion cuisine, but traditional local recipes too, including well-known classics like ceviche or anticuchos, as well as indigenous, criollo or Andean ingredients...

Other exemplary chefs include Virgilio Martínez, Mitsuharu Tsumura, Andrés Rodríguez, Renzo Garibaldi, Rafael Osterling, Hector Solis, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino and José del Castillo who work with nikkei, traditional or Amazonian styles or are influenced by them.

So, what about more traditional dishes that draw on criollo influences? An elegant Chardonnay with fruity notes is a good bet or a citrusy white like Sauvignon Blanc if the star dish is ceviche.

Brazil

Álex Atala is among the leading chefs in Brazilian cuisine. He already stood out as one of Latin America's most influential chefs in 2010 when he embarked on a study of national and indigenous ingredients and Amazonian cuisine. In doing so, he revealed an exotic, coloristic and richly nuanced food culture that was largely unexplored at that point.

This marked Brazil's entrance into the pantheon of high-end cuisine, and his restaurant D.O.M has ranked among the world's best for over a decade. Flowers, microgreens, plants like piprioca, jambu, pupunha or beldroega; fruits and berries—like açai, which originates from a type of palm—seeds, Amazonian fish, oysters, white corn, tapioca, black Brazilian rice, spices like pimento de cheiro chili peppers or ingredients like tucupi combine well with local southern wines.

These elements exist alongside popular items like meat (often salted), buns stuffed with beans and onion, Brazilian cheese bread, feijoada (a black bean and meat stew), and more. Indigenous, African and Italian influences have all found their way into Brazil's culinary culture.

Our wine recommendation? For heartier meat dishes, opt for structured wines with round tannins. We're fond of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. For fruit-based recipes, we prefer fresh wines with a slight hint of sweetness. For fish, Chardonnay or a sparkling wine works nicely. Bean dishes have us leaning toward Merlot, Malbec or Cabernet. What if cheese is the main attraction? We'd go for Merlot or Chardonnay.

Argentina

It is inevitable. Argentina immediately conjures up meat, much like Spain is associated with its potato omelet and cured ham the world over.

The country's recipes range from the most contemporary—new takes on traditional recipes and the incorporation of local products, vegetables included—to popular classics. However, when Argentinian cuisine is mentioned in Spain, we tend to associate it with carne asada (charcoal-grilled meat), empanadas, choripán, churrasco, matambre, etc. Many of these dishes are seasoned with chimichurri, a classic sauce that is slightly spicy. It is true that Argentina's varied landscape and geographic contrasts yield a very diverse food culture, but in seeking a match we'll confine ourselves to those flavors with a strong Italian and Spanish influence that put meat front and center.

In keeping with the hearty palate of these recipes, we'd opt for reds. Argentina is a big wine producer, making a local red an ideal choice: how about a Malbec? However, if we want to go with a Spanish wine, look for the likes of a Ribera del Duero, Rioja, Priorat, Montsant, Toro, especially their Tempranillos, Garnachas, even Cariñenas.

Mexico

In Mexico, high-end cuisine tends to focus on, study, explore and work with local ingredients using either home-grown or imported techniques. Ingredients like corn, chicken, pork, duck, chayote, cactus, chili peppers, epazote, avocado, champignons, beans, ají, xoconostle, guayaba, nopal, chabacano and pápalo or dishes like mole, tamales, quesadillas, tacos and ceviches (it's not only a Peruvian thing!) feature prominently in the country's culinary tradition. And then, of course, there are the spices...

Although per capita wine consumption is relatively low and the country imports much of it, Mexico does make its own wine, mostly in Baja California. So if given the chance, pair Mexican food with a Mexican wine—after all, it is always best to go local. If we go with a Spanish selection, remember that spicy food is a wonderful match for aromatic wines with great palate persistence. However, were we to ask a local, he or she would probably recommend beer or pulque, a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage.