Matching wine to cuisines it isn’t traditionally drunk with–Caribbean, Latin American, Asian–is the focus of this periodic feature, in which we pick a BYO restaurant, sample a few dishes, and recommend some wines.
Pastelitos de masa (ground pork empanadas) 1, 3
$1.50
$7.50
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This cheerful and expansive Uptown dining room is one of the few in town serving Salvadoran cuisine. The specialties here are the pupusas, fried pockets of dough made from masa (corn flour) or harina de arroz (rice flour, for a slightly stiffer pancake). They’re stuffed with beans, cheese, pork rinds, or the starchy vegetable loroco and accompanied by a huge bowl of tangy coleslaw and a dish of smoky chipotle-spiked salsa. Entrees–consisting mainly of familiar dishes like tamales and enchiladas–tend to be mild, often highlighted with a squeeze of lime and shake of salt, and most are served with roasted plantains, lending a sweet element. Wines need a good dose of acidity to stand up to the vinegar of the condiments and the citrus zing of lime. The consulting expert on this trip was R. Lee Schlesinger, a fermentation science specialist for the Skokie-based importer Winesellers.
- 2002 Te Kairanga Sauvignon Blanc (Martinborough, New Zealand), $14.99. This extremely small winery–with only 35 hectares (or about 85 acres) of established vines–is one of the largest in Martinborough and sits at the highest point of a particularly good piece of land. (It’s also the one vintner on this list that is repped by Schlesinger’s company.) This lively wine has a typical sauvignon blanc profile, combining flavors of passion fruit, asparagus, and grapefruit with a gooseberry aroma. The wine has a soft finish, but it lingers, and its almost effervescent fruitiness enhances the mild flavors of both the cheese and the masa dough. Top the pupusa with coleslaw and the wine becomes a bit mellower, but it stands up to the vinegar in the pickling liquid. (Sam’s, Trotter’s to Go)
Binny’s Beverage Depot 213 W. Grand, 312-332-0012
