Mencía pairs best with herbal driven dishes or roasted meat & veggie dishes such as Rueben Sandwiches, Chorizo Sausage, Beef Stew, Portobello Mushroom Steak, Fajitas, Roasted Pork, and Pepper Steak.
Mencía is produced in Spain and Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula. Medium-bodied, you’ll find high acidity and medium tannin in this rare red wine that is known for its sour cherry, pomegranate, and blackberry flavours. You’ll also find a lot of pepper, earth, herbs, smoke, spice and tar. Mencía tastes like a cross between a Pinot Noir and a Syrah in that it has low tannin and high acidity like a Pinot Noir (or Beaujolais), along with the peppery and savoury herbal flavours of a Syrah.
Best Food with Mencía Wine
Mencía & Reuben Sandwich Pairing
While earthy at heart, Mencía remains a fresh red wine due to it’s high-acidity, and this makes it Mencía a wonderful wine pairing with a Reuben Sandwich. A Reuben sandwich consists of corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese and Russian dressing that are all layered between two grilled slices of rye bread. The high acidity comes across as refreshing when pitted against all these salty, funky and fatty ingredients, while still ensuring the flavours of both the wine and sandwich bounce pleasantly about in your mouth.
Full of spice, smoke and herbs, Mencía complements the fennel seed in your rye bread, the funkiness of the sauerkraut, and the herbal notes of the Russian dressing. The low tannin also ensures the wine never clashes with the acidic sauerkraut, which would make the wine taste flat and metallic.
Mencía & Pepper Steak Pairing
Pepper Steak is a stir-fried dish made up of sliced steak, bell peppers, soy sauce and ginger. The earthy and smoky flavours of Mencía will go beautifully with the soy sauce, ginger and bell peppers. Meanwhile, the acidity will bridge the whole dish together, making all the individual flavours stand out. While Mencía is low in tannin, it’s fresh and fruity flavours won’t be crushed by the steak, as you have all the other ingredients to spread out the heft of the steak. What tannin Mencía does have will soften the beef flavours and allow the pomegranate, strawberry and cherry notes of Mencía shine bright.
Mencía Red Wine & Pepperoni Pizza Pairing
Due to its fresh flavours and spicy notes, Mencía loves cured meats, and pepperoni is no exception. As it’s higher in acidity than tannin, Mencía is going to get along great with the acidic tomato sauce on your pizza. Mencía will also love a wide variety of other Pizza toppings such as ham, BBQ chicken, sausage, beef, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms.
Mencía & Chorizo Sausage Pairing
Spanish Chorizo Sausage is a sausage made from smoked pork along with plenty of spices with Paprika being the dominant spice. The tangy high acidity of Mencía ensures that this red wine is able to wash away the salt and fat content of the Sausage, ensuring each bite tastes fresh. Meanwhile, the notes of pepper, meat, spices, herbs and smoke complement the Chorizo Sausage flavours.
Furthermore, as Mencía is fresh but earthy red wine, it will pair up well with plenty of other Tapas dishes due to its food-friendly nature.
Mencía Wine & Chicken Fajitas
High in acidity, and low in tannin, Mencía is refreshing with fruity notes of sour cherry and blackberry, allowing it to saddle up nicely beside lighter meat dishes like Chicken Fajitas. The high acidity of Mencía ensures the tender chicken flavours are buried under an avalanche of tannin that a heavier red wine would contain. Meanwhile, you get lovely pepper, earth, and herb flavours that complement any sautéed mushrooms, peppers and onions that are loaded into your Fajita.