Lucy feels like the spirit of summer. Something about this trio’s relaxed kind of panache fits with the season’s bright, freewheeling days and long, beautiful evenings. We couldn’t help but pour more glasses of our Rosé, Pico Blanco, and Gamay Noir when we learned that Wine Enthusiast featured Lucy in a recent article pairing Mexican food and wine.
As grapevines are to California’s Central Coast, so Mexican food is to the Salinas Valley. Mexicans and Mexican Americans, who make up 80% of the city’s population, are the backbone of the area known as the salad bowl of the world, and have long contributed their talents and expertise to its culinary scene. The mostly family-owned restaurants that neighbor us regularly provide us with delicious illustration of food that showcases fresh vegetables and locally-caught seafood. And now, just in time for summer, Wine Enthusiast, has highlighted the best of both in their article, “A Taco-Filled Eating Tour of California’s Salinas Valley.” Their conclusions: the spices and earthiness of Mexican food harmonize as beautifully with wine as do the French preparations more commonly connected with it.
Wine reviewer Matt Kettmann and regional Mexican food aficionado Nils Bernstein teamed up to begin their tour to the south of us in King City and ended with a flourish in our neighborhood in Gonzales three days later, having nibbled and sipped their way through many of the fifty-odd Mexican eateries in the area. In the process, they matched foods from enchiladas to ceviche to a gamut of winemakers rooted in the region. We’re proud to say that amid the breakfasts and banquets our very own Lucy wines took a star turn in the article. And we’re delighted to have Lucy featured in a piece that gives the delectable Mexican eateries in our area their due.
At Linda Taqueria, one of our favorite local spots, the writer-reviewers poured the light gold of Lucy Pico Blanco into glasses and enjoyed its “citrusy” mineral clarity with a delicate ceviche and a mouth-watering plate of papas tacos dorados (mashed potatoes browned in a hard taco shell). They summed up their food and wine tour by honoring our sprightly, sunset-colored Lucy Rose, which brings out the “same balance of brightness and richness” that “the best Mexican food does.”
Whether you’re exploring the vibrant food culture of Monterey County or visiting your go-to Mexican restaurant at home, you might try sampling some of Kettmann’s and Bernstein’s innovative flavor combinations by bringing a bottle of Lucy with you. Chances are that with food as delicious as it is unpretentious, you won’t even be charged a corkage fee.
