After reading an article recently about pairing fast food options with wine, I decided to try my own version to see if it was even worth attempting to pair in my opinion. I decided that I would like to try the concept of fast food pairing with some of my favorite carry-out options. I want to test a spicy Chinese dish with a Rose, a local fried chicken joint with a barrel fermented Chardonnay, a local pizzeria pairing as well as a burger pairing from the local dive bar that dishes out some fabulous, juicy burgers and hand-cut fries. My first experiment was with one of my go-to lunch/dinner on the run stops, Pancheros.
One evening I stopped at Pancheros Mexican Grill and bought a steak and carnita burrito with chips and salsa for dinner. For those of you unfamiliar with Pancheros, it is similar to a Chipotle. They make their own homemade tortillas and press them fresh when you order and load up the burrito with your choice of proteins and fresh vegetables (along with the typical rice and beans). In a word, delicious. On my drive home, I decided that I would try to pair it with a red wine that I had at home. Upon finding a Tempranillo on my shelf, I decided to go for it. The Tempranillo was from Spain, the burrito derives from Mexico. They speak Spanish in both countries. That seemed like enough reason for me to pair them. In all seriousness, I thought the flavors from this wine would compliment the pulled pork in my burrito. This pairing did not fail me. The particular wine I purchased was fairly weak in intensity, but the savory spice flavors in the wine married with the acidity of the pico de gallo and chips as well as the fresh veggies and meat in the burrito. I would definitely put this combo together again!