Although winery tasting rooms have started to open again, the coronavirus has not backed down. As a result, closures are imminent at the end of July for those that do not have outdoor seating. So, for us, that means replenishing our wine supplies to enjoy with a pantry dinner on the patio. Our latest guilty pleasure is pairing nachos with sparkling wine for dinner.

How do you feel about nachos for dinner? I say nachos are the new pasta – the covid comfort food of the season if you will. Although to make myself feel less guilty about serving them I said, “Honey, I made sheet pan tacos for dinner!” Then I opened some bubbles. Because it was Monday.

Sure, beer aka cerveza is a classic pairing with Mexican inspired food. Why? It has bubbles. In other words, it’s a refreshing counterpoint to the spice in the food. Just like sparkling wine!

Wine Pairing for Nachos

To create a balanced pairing, we poured a sparkling rosé that comes from Treveri Cellars. I chose this wine because it’s off dry, meaning it’s got a little sweetness to it. That makes it the perfect complement to the seasonings in the taco meat and the salsa. In the world of wine pairing, sweet moderates heat.

Plus, I added some fresh corn to the mountain of mouthwatering nacho toppings. The sweetness of the corn requires a little sweetness in the wine. Now don’t freak out! We’re not talking sticky sweet. This wine is far less sweet than a Coke or other soda. If it was a dryer style of bubbles such as a brut sparkling wine, the heat in the dish and the alcohol of the wine would be amplified.

Treveri Cellars

Are you familiar with the family owned winery, Treveri Cellars? They are the only sparkling wine house here in Washington State. We always stop at the tasting room in Yakima whenever we are on our way to wine country on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. Not only is the winery conveniently located halfway between Seattle and Walla Walla, they are such nice people!

Head winemaker/proprietor Juergen Grieb grew up in Trier, Germany where he learned the craft of Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine production. If you’re not familiar with the German sparkling wine, Sekt, you should be! It’s a great value.

Just as Sekt is produced with Riesling, Treveri produces a sparkling wine with that variety. They also bottle some fun, unexpected varieties such as Gewurztraminer. Additionally, they offer Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay and Blanc de Noirs from Pinot Noir for traditionalists.⁠ Plus, most bottles are $20 or under making them an incredible value!⁠

Pro tip: I recently replenished our supply with penny shipping! Just ⁠use code WASTRONG on orders of 6+ bottles in Treveri’s online store and you can get penny shipping while it lasts, too.

By the way, this is not a promoted post. The fact is that with the shuttering of restaurants and tasting rooms, this is a really challenging time for wineries. Those that are locally and family owned are especially vulnerable. Buying direct from the producer as opposed to purchasing their products at a grocery or big box store is the best way to support our local wineries.

If you’re hungry for more pairings, check out my tips for pairing rosé with summertime foods.