By Laina Carter of McGrail Vineyards

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

If there’s anything American people and Mexican people both love, it’s a celebration that involves good food, drinks, and fun party festivities. Unfortunately, a party isn’t really in the cards for us at the moment, so we’ll mainly focus on the food and drinks. But since we’re on the topic of parties and celebrations, let me tell you a little bit about why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo. What I find most fascinating about Cinco de Mayo is that it is more widely celebrated in the United States than it is in Mexico. At a glance, it is a celebration of Zaragoza’s victory over Napoleon III’s French forces on May 5th, 1862 in Puebla, Mexico. There is only one state in Mexico that observes Cinco de Mayo as a federal holiday, and that’s Puebla. Contrary to what a lot of Americans think to be true, Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16th, not on Cinco de Mayo. The battle of Puebla, which occurred on the 5th of May in 1862, is not even considered to be that monumental of a victory, according to much of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo has come to be so widely celebrated in the United States, because it is and has been a way for Mexican Americans to celebrate their heritage. In 1862 when Napoleon was defeated, the people of Puebla and the people of California shared many ties and Mexican Americans in California celebrated Puebla’s victory. 158 years later, we carry on the tradition of celebrating one Mexican city’s defeat of the French. Now that you know the reason we celebrate Cinco de Mayo and why it’s such a big deal in America, we’ll move onto the good stuff–food and drinks!

Like Cinco de Mayo, tacos were believed to have originated around the 1800’s and were also eventually adopted by and are now widely celebrated by Americans. For a food that isn’t actually that old, tacos are certainly popular! Seriously though, what’s not to like about a taco? In their traditional form, tacos almost exclusively contain the most delicious ingredients known to man and aways come nicely wrapped in a cute little tortilla vessel. What I love most about tacos is that you can now find a recipe in which any sort of food has been made into a taco. Grilled carrots? Yep. Cheeseburgers? You know it. Chocolate and ice cream? You bet. Though I will always love traditional Mexican street tacos, I appreciate the culinary innovation in creating any type of taco. One of America’s most beloved food gurus, Guy Fieri, is also an enthusiast of culinary modification.

Guy Fieri, who is a Bay Area native, is known for his fusion dishes and restaurants. When trying to brainstorm wine pairings for Cinco de Mayo, Guy Fieri’s cultural culinary fusion style immediately came to mind, due to the fact Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates a Mexican city’s victory over French forces and is primarily celebrated in the United States. When I think of Guy Fieri, I am reminded of my time living in Sonoma County, when I almost literally, physically bumped into him at Costco in Santa Rosa once and would dine at his restaurants regularly. Tex Wasabi’s, which was one of Fieri’s restaurants in Santa Rosa, served some of the most amazing Asian and Barbecue fusion plates imaginable and some of the best food I’ve ever had.

In addition to tying the taco and wine pairings to Fieri’s fusion style, I had also been trying to come up with a new, fun video idea for our Assistant Winemaker Cris to star in and Guy Fieri just really fit the bill for both myself and Cris. Soon, I found myself ordering a $6 Fierian wig and flame-covered bowling shirt off Amazon and pulling faux tattoo sleeves out of my Halloween costume boxes. Cris did a magnificent job emulating the Mayor of Flavortown in our video, which was posted on Sunday. I encourage you to take a watch if you haven’t yet!

In order to incorporate the food pairings with the video, I had to come up with some interesting taco recipes to keep it fresh and all tied together. While I cooked most of the food, Cris assisted me with frying the fish for the fish tacos and heating the tortillas. Together, we created tequila lime fish tacos that Cris’s character Surfer Steve would show Guy how to make, a saucy cheeseburger taco to pair with our Patriot Cabernet at “Patriot Pat’s,” and some sweet, slowcooked BBQ chicken and mango-apple tacos, enjoyed by Cris’s elderly Gertrude, who said they brought her as much pleasure as her late husband Winston did before he died in 1985. Admittedly, the characters and storyline are absolutely wacky, but our main goal was to entertain, which we definitely accomplished.

I hope you enjoy these taco and wine pairings and are able to get a chuckle out of our silly video. Cheers and feliz Cinco de Mayo!

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Surfer Steve’s Tequila Lime Tacos & 2019 Peyton Paige Sauvignon Blanc

INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 8 servings.

For the tacos:

• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp. silver tequila
• 12 oz. cod, cut into 2 1/2″ pieces
• 16 8″ white corn tortillas
• Canola oil
• 8 oz. dry, unseasoned fish fry batter
• 8 oz. panko bread crumbs

For the dry slaw:

• 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup napa cabbage, shredded
• 2 1/2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced

For the pico de gallo:

• 12 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, minced
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the cilantro lime aioli:

• 3 tbsp. silver tequila
• 1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice
• 8 oz. crema Mexicana (Mexican sour cream)
• ¼ cup skim milk
• 3 tsp. garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

For the Tacos:

1. In a shallow bowl or a Ziploc bag, combine the cumin, salt , pepper lime juice, and tequila. Stir thoroughly. Place the cod in the bowl or bag and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator, allowing the fish to marinate for up to an hour.
2. In a deep frying pan or skillet, heat the canola oil to 350-375 degrees F.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the dry fish fry and panko bread crumbs. Mix well.
4. Remove the cod from the marinade and dredge each piece entirely in fish fry and panko mixture.
5. Slowly, begin adding each piece of cod to the oil, ensuring the pieces stay separated from one another. Fry each piece of cod for 4-5 minutes, or until light golden brown. Using tongs, remove the fish from the oil and place on a paper-towel-covered plate to remove any excess oil.
6. Warm corn tortillas in a pan, on low heat. Cover warm tortillas with a towel to keep warm.
7. Stack two tortillas and place 1-2 pieces of the cod on top of each. Top with dry slaw, pico de gallo, and tequila lime aioli.
8. Serve immediately.

For the dry slaw:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

For the pico de gallo:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld together.

For the tequila lime aioli:

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld together.

Enjoy with a glass of our 2019 Peyton Paige Sauvignon Blanc!

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Patriot Pat’s Cheeseburger Tacos & 2016 Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon

Makes about 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 8″ white corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup thousand island dressing
• 3 tbsp. ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp. olive or canola oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef (85/15)
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 thick slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 medium-sized red tomato, cut into 1/4″ thick slices
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned and cut into 6″ around pieces
• 3 mini Kosher dill pickles, thinly sliced
• 3 tsp. sesame seeds
• Optional: 1 1/2 haas avocado

DIRECTIONS:

1. Warm corn tortillas on a pan, on low heat. Cover warm tortillas with a towel to keep warm. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine thousand island dressing and ketchup. Mix well. Set aside.
3. In a medium frying pan, heat oil on medium-low. Add minced onions and grill until lightly browned.
4. In a medium bowl, combine hamburger meat, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well and shape into 6 small-to-medium-sized patties.
5. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan on medium. Add patties. Grill each patty halfway to desired doneness and add a slice of cheese on top. Once patties have reached desired doneness, remove from heat.
6. Stack two warm tortillas together and top with 1-2 pieces iceberg lettuce, a cooked cheeseburger patty, 1-2 tomato slices, a spoonful of grilled onions, several dill pickle slices, thousand-island-ketchup mixture, 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds, and 1/2 haas avocado (optional).
7. Enjoy this behemoth taco with a glass of our 2016 Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Saoirse’s Sweet Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Mango-Apple Tacos & 2017 Slainte Red Blend

Makes about 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

For the tacos:

• 16 8″ white corn tortillas
• 4 pieces of sweet corn, cooked and cut from cob
• 8 heaping tbsp. mild shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tbsp. fresh chives, minced

For the chicken:

• 1 lb. organic chicken breast, boneless and skinless
• 12 oz. sweet BBQ sauce (I used Sauced’s Pig Candy BBQ Sauce)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the mango-apple slaw:

• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. lime juice
• 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup mango juice
• 2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 mango, cubed into 1/4″ pieces
• 1 granny smith apple, cubed into 1/4″ pieces
• 1 honeycrisp apple, cubed into 1/4″ pieces
• 1 cup napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup carrots, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

For the chicken:

1. In a medium slowcooker, add raw chicken breast, BBQ sauce, diced onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
2. Place lid on slowcooker, and ensure no or minimal air is escaping.
3. If chicken breasts are frozen, turn slowcooker on high and allow to cook for 2-3 hours. If chicken breasts are refrigerator temperature, turn slowcooker on low and allow to cook for 3 1/2-4 1/2 hours. Chicken is cooked when breasts have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
4. Chicken should be easy to shred. Shred chicken into 1″ chunks using two forks.

For the mango-apple slaw:

1. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, lime juice, mango juice, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Whisk together.
2. In the same bowl, add mango, apple, cilantro, cabbage, and carrots. Stir well. Allow to sit in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

For the tacos:

1. Warm corn tortillas on a pan, on low heat. Cover warm tortillas with a towel to keep warm.
2. Once the chicken has been cooked thoroughly and you have made the slaw, stack two warm tortillas together on a plate. On top of tortillas, place 2-3 chicken chunks, a spoonful of corn, a heaping tablespoon of shredded cheese, a large spoonful of mango-apple slaw, and one teaspoon chives.
3. Pair with a glass of our 2017 Slainte Red Blend and enjoy!

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We hope you’ll make one of these tacos at home! Please let us know if you do. We’d love to hear from you!

Cheers and enjoy!