Problem with moles in my yard

WINE TALK
1

Specifically Black Mole and Red Mole (Mole Poblano).
Serving with chicken, baked/braised/possibly grilled.

Anyone want to take a stab a pairing suggestion (besides beer)?

2

Get a Black Cat to take care of the moles in your yard. :wink:

3

Margaritas

4

I misread that as “motels” so your problem seems pretty insignificant now.

5

Scott, a few weeks ago we had the real McCoy one of our neighbors mother spent the two days required and made red and yellow (oaxachan) we had already opened a Phelps Chardonnay and went with that but it was far from an inspired pairing.
I’m sure you will get lots of good suggestions but the margaritas, beer is hard to beat.
That yellow mole on cabrito (baby goat) was probably the best I’ve ever had. Sometimes it’s good to live in Texas.

6

Godello

7

I have some!

The reason I ask for wine pairings is because we like to do wine pairing dinners with our group. At home with HRH it will be beer and Margaritas but with the group I would like to find a fun wine pairing.

Craig, that Cabrito sounds fantastic.
Brian, so does the Godello.

8

Sounds like a Riesling to me.

9

Sangrilla

10

I misread it as “mohel” and was going to suggest a chain-mail codpiece.

11

[winner.gif] [cheers.gif]

12

Have some water on the side.
Caddyshack-gopher.jpg

13

Get a Tablas Creek blanco…

14

Those two moles are slightly different and I’m big fan of all moles.

Truth is I usually have beer, but Riesling would certainly work. They’ll each have a little spice to them so the off-dry works and the acid cuts through the sauce. With the mole negro, I’ve had fruity reds and they have worked. Zin that is not really high octane comes to mind. Once at Babita we drank an Amarone with mole negro over turkey and it worked fine. Shiraz could work too. The reds will go better with the mole Negro than they will with the Rojo.

15

I’m thinking a brightly-flavored, GSM or Rhone blend.

As a second thought for a white, a savory Gewurtz. Not too dry or high in alcohol.

16

Dolcetto or Barbera.

17

Thanks for the tip.

18

My first thought was you should call the hoa since you live in a condo.

19

I like a good spicy syrah with mole, but I usually have my mole with smoked brisket.

20

Are there prizes?

Even moreso than with most Mexican cuisine, the animal here is barely relevant: the flavor comes from the moles. That’s also reflected in the way these dishes are considered “Mole Poblano/Negro/… with ____” and not the other way around.

I’d think reds with these two moles, and certainly without too high alcohol or serious tannins, either of which can exponentialize the picante. But you probably don’t want, say, a lighter Beaujolais: likely too polite in the company of such strong flavors. I’d think a deeply fruited, not-too-high-octane Zin could match up well, or something made from Mourvedre, Grenache, Malbec, Tempranillo, Dolcetto, Barbera, maybe riper-fruitier Pinot Noir or Syrah than you or I might ordinarily cotton to…

Or, I’m thinkin’ a big ol’ field blend with several of the above would be the most poetically appropriate as a dance partner with moles (one of the last ones I made by hand, for a Thanksgiving some years ago, listed 40 ingredients in the recipe… we also rendered our own lard, which I’d advise against in a poorly-ventilated NYC apartment: aerosolized pork fat loses much of its charm when it still comprises 6% of the atmosphere weeks later) - which makes me think Bedrock, like their Bedrock vyd and maybe others. The Evangelho I had IMO lacked the heft you’d want here.

Totally different gear, taking a cue from beer, you could try a sparkler. A savory Champagne with some age might be interesting, but for me sparkling roses as a category are easily the best beer standins and can imagine some of them not sucking, especially something focused more on rich fruit and less on cutting acids: closer in spirit to Negro Modelo than Pilsner Urquell. I also wouldn’t bet against at least one rose sans bubbles - the LdH pink boasts such complexity and refreshment, it even works with (complex, immoderately flavored, muy picante, terrifically wine-hostile) Sichuan food, so why not also a mole or two?