One of the best things about bringing home a bottle from a local winery is opening it with friends at the dinner table. But Texas wines can be quirky little buggers, and conventional wine-pairing advice doesn’t always apply to the unique wine of the Lone Star State.
In this article, we look at six of our favorite Texas foods and match them with six distinctive styles of Texas wine. From beef chili to cactus tacos to Texas-shaped waffles, we’ve got you covered with some Texa-riffic food and wine duos.
Each pairing suggestion ends with a recommended wine from an independent Texas winery. I’ve picked bottles that I’ve tasted and that–just for fun–are produced as near as possible to the origin of the dish.
A quick note: These pairings are all native Texan-approved, but they are examples only. I hope you will have fun experimenting with your own Texas wine pairings!
Texas Pairing #1: Chili con Carne and Tempranillo
We might as well start with Texas’s official state dish, chili con carne. Usually just called “chili,” the spicy bowl of goodness is also known by its affectionate nickname, “Texas Red.”
Though it has similarities to traditional dishes from Mexico and Spain, food historians have long contended that chili is a Texas creation. San Antonio’s “chili queens” (the Mexican-American women who once cooked and sold chili in the city’s open-air markets) are credited with its invention.
The stew–yes, chili is technically a stew, just like a hot dog is a sandwich (fight me)–is made with ground and/or diced beef, tomato, onions, garlic, and dry spices. Those are the basics, but there’s no canonical, agreed-upon formula. Heirloom recipes and secret ingredients are the norm.
Texas chili cooks may gussy up their batches with common and exotic additions including beer, corn masa, ketchup, coffee, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar–even grape jelly. (But strictly no beans, unless you want to start an argument with a Texan.)
How about adding wine as a secret ingredient? Oh yeah–we’ve definitely gone there, with delicious results!
As any chili cook-off champ will attest, when formulating a chili recipe you’ve got to balance the bitterness of the dry spices and the heaviness of the slow-cooked meat. Chili needs a sweet and an acid component to taste its best. Well, guess what two things are in wine? Sugar and acid. Dump that quarter of a bottle of leftover Merlot in your slow cooker and your chili will thank you.
But wine’s not only good in chili. It’s good with chili, too. When pairing with braised meat, red wines are traditional–and our choice would be a Texas Tempranillo.
Tempranillo–the premier grape of Spain–is also now the most widely planted black grape in Texas. It has an earthy, spicy quality that underpins its ripe fruit flavors. Tempranillo is often moderate in acid, and like chili, it can taste heavy. To add a bit of freshness to your chili bowl, top it with pickled jalapeños, sour cream, cilantro or green onions.
Winemakers from all over Texas are producing good Tempranillos right now. But because chili con carne first arose in San Antonio, I’ll tip my hat to the Rio Grande by pairing my bowl of chili with a red from that part of the state.
Wine pairing: Bending Branch Texas Tempranillo 2019 – $30
Texas Pairing #2: Nopales and Albariño
Nopales are pads from the prickly pear cactus, an indigenous Nahuatl food that joined Texas’s cuisine by way of Mexico. This hardy succulent is one of the only green vegetables that can thrive naturally on Texas’s scrub prairies.
Nopales may be sauteed, grilled, pickled, and even eaten raw. (Minus the spines, of course.) They have a mild, vegetal flavor that’s hard to describe–it’s something like cucumber or aloe with a little sourness to it.
Fresh nopales, when in season, can be found at Mexican grocers. But most Texans arguably know them best as nopalitos, sliced strips of cactus flesh that come in jarred, pickled form. Grilled nopalitos frequently appear on the menu as a vegetarian option at taquerias. They’re also lovely incorporated into breakfast dishes like migas and huevos rancheros, where their fresh green flavor provides a counterpoint to eggs and cheese.
The tart, briny flavor of nopales begs for a high-acid wine. Albariño, though usually quite dry, has floral, citrus, and sea salt notes that will ideally complement the tangy and earthy flavors of grilled cactus.
We’re pairing our nopales taco with a Texas Albariño from Houston’s Decant Urban Winery made with grapes from Bingham Family Vineyards.
Wine pairing: Decant Urban Winery Albariño 2023 (Texas High Plains AVA) – $34
Texas Pairing #3: Bratwurst and Sangiovese Rosé
When pairing wine with German food, I usually opt for styles of wine that are popular in Germany. A dry or off-dry Riesling, say–or a young and fruity Pinot Noir.
German-influenced food is everywhere in Central Texas, but it’s hard to find Texas wines that successfully mimic German styles. Our climate is much warmer than Germany’s, and the classic grapes of the Rhineland suffer in our summer heat.
Instead, when you’re flipping brats, reach for a Texas wine that’s light and refreshing. Texas makes a fruity, dry style of chillable Sangiovese rosé that’s ideal for summer meals.
Texas Sangiovese is usually picked quite early in the season, even as early as August. That results in high acidity that can stand up to the mustard and onions, while red-fruit and herbal flavors are a great match for many kinds of pork dishes including bratwurst.
For a crowd-pleasing picnic wine, also keep an eye out for fizzy rosé from Texas Sangiovese or Tempranillo. It pairs well with mains, snacks, and sides–and everybody loves bubbles!
Wine pairing: Slate Theory Sangiovese Rosé 2023 (Texas High Plains AVA) – $36
Texas Pairing #4: Peach Ice Cream and Buttery Chard
Peach season runs from mid-May to mid-August. In the summer, Texas’s deep-golden peaches fill farmers markets, roadside stands, and even city grocery stores. Biting into a perfectly ripe peach–honey-sweet and still warm from the crate–is a messy, euphoric experience.
The rest of the year, there’s peach ice cream. Blue Bell makes a passable supermarket version. But if you ever find yourself on a Texas road trip during the summer, pull off of I-45 for the locally grown, house-made peach ice cream from Cooper Farms.
I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of matching ice cream with wine. Sweet pairings are tricky and a frozen tongue tends to dull the flavor and sensation of wine.
But if we’re doing this thing, let’s go big or go home with a rich, buttery Chardonnay. Becker Vineyards’ 2022 Reserve Chardonnay spent 24 months in 100% new French oak, yielding intense flavors of toasted brioche and vanilla. It could be just the thing to sip on between bites of a big waffle cone full of peaches and cream.
Wine pairing: Becker Vineyards 2022 Reserve Chardonnay (Texas High Plains AVA) – $40
Texas Pairing #5: Gulf Oysters and Blanc du Bois
I’ll come right out and say it: Texas has the best oysters in the world. Saltier and sweeter and bigger and tastier than those wussy Blue Points.
Their peak season is winter. Every December when I’m visiting family on the Gulf, I gobble down dozens of them fresh off the boats.
The traditional wine pairing for oysters is light and crisp–think Champagne or Sauvignon Blanc. But Texas just doesn’t have the cool climate needed to produce wines with high levels of natural acidity. And European grape varieties tend to die of moldy diseases when you try to plant them anywhere near the humid Gulf.
Enter Blanc du Bois, a hybrid variety that was invented in Florida and thrives in the humid conditions of the American South.
It has a naturally musky flavor that some find off-putting, but wine-makers are learning to get around that with early-picked, blended, and fortified styles. A well-made Blanc du Bois is delicious with Gulf seafood including shrimp and umami-rich, briny oysters.
Try pairing Galveston oysters with the dry Blanc du Bois from Haak Vineyards, the first commercial winery located in Galveston County. (Their Blanc du Bois Madeira is another interesting wine pairing to try with Gulf oysters!)
Wine pairing: Haak Vineyards Dry Blanc Du Bois – $14
Texas Pairing #6: Texas-Shaped Waffles and Moscato
The history of the waffle can be traced back to ancient Greece. The crispy treat was later popularized by the Dutch. The Belgians claim it, too.
But as soon as someone made a waffle in the beauteous shape of Texas, it permanently became a Texas food. Texas-shaped waffles are a staple in motel buffets around the state. I’ll bet that more than a few Texans have one of these waffle irons tucked somewhere in their kitchen cabinets.
So, what Texas wine to pair with your Texas-shaped waffle?
Waffles are basically dessert for breakfast. You need something sweet to stand up to the caramelized sugar and maple-syrup flavors.
Waffles are wonderful with Tawny Port or brandy–but imagine it’s 10 AM at the Hilton Garden Inn and we’re not trying to get sloppy here. Instead, let’s serve our waffle with a chilled glass of Texas Moscato. (For a sophisticated adult treat, skip the maple syrup and top your Texas-shaped waffle with whipped ricotta or goat cheese and sliced fresh strawberries.)
Texas Moscato from the High Plains shows orange-blossom, honeysuckle and and peach aromas that complement the sweet-salty flavors of butter and crispy waffle edges. Moscato also has low alcohol–usually under 10%–so a little indulgence in the morning won’t wreck your day.
Wine pairing: Los Pinos Ranch Moscato (Texas High Plains AVA) – $24
Hope we made y’all hungry! What are your favorite Texas food and wine pairings? Share ’em in the comments!
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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