Marionette Picnic 03

Cantina Vallarta’s Chimichanga and our 2015 Merlot

For my next Downtown Salmon Arm food and wine adventure I wanted to find something to go with our 2015 Merlot, so I was sort of reverse engineering my pairing this time. I had the wine and I went out looking for the food.  My first choice for the Merlot was something from Salmon Arm’s gem of a Mexican restaurant – Cantina Vallarta on Hudson Street. 

Our Merlot is rich and because it’s unoaked the front-loaded blackcurrant and blackberry flavour profile really draws out complexity in food.  Cantina Vallarta is sincere in its approach to Mexican food and so in a lot of their dishes you get that great combination of hearty comfort food textures and zingy, spicy flair.  Our Merlot fits nicely into that food experience because it can match those dynamics and that richness.

So, what did I choose?  The Chimichanga.  The layers of textures and flavours (I chose the spicy salsa verde) when combined with a mouthful of our Merlot did not disappoint. That lean bright edge of the Merlot with its mid-palate fullness really came together with all the spice and texture differences such as the crunchiness of the tortilla and smoothness of the resfriado beans.

It came together beautifully and it made me once again appreciate and muse about the always surprising way that wine can unlock the experience of food.  An unoaked red like our Merlot that is balanced and fruit forward has the ability to amplify certain key elements of the food and wine experience such as acidity, smoothness/mouthfeel and to a great extent the flavours.  

With the right wine the experience of sensing the food as you eat it and tasting the wine as you drink it comes into focus, it becomes vivid.    So many meals we have in life are consumed but never tasted, never experienced.   This one I will remember.   With the right wine pairing the experience of eating and drinking becomes more than the sum of its parts. It can become a memory – something you feel.

So, that being said – you can experience it too! Go get it and bring it up to Marionette! It’s another memorable food/wine experience and you can have it right here and nowhere else. Our patio is waiting. The idea is planted.  Sow the experience.