Pairing Great Wines with Traditional Mexican Fare Photos Caitlin Elizabeth
ABOVE PHOTO BY Heidi Ivy Neiss
your eyes water,” Becerra says. In fact, the higher priced wines on the menu are the better values, as they have the lowest percentage of markup. It’s not only good financial value, but an invitation to try wines you might not otherwise order. If you’re interested in jumping into the wine world with Becerra and Olea, Sazón regularly holds wine dinners where Olea serves a six course meal specifically paired with certain wines. They have hopes of increasingly introducing wines from Mexico, and have planned Mexican wine dinners in an attempt to convince local distributors to start carrying wines from the Baja region.
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awrence Becerra is not a restaurateur, but he’s always liked good food and wines. When the opportunity came along to build a stage for his longtime friend Chef Fernando Olea, he and his wife Suzanna jumped at the opportunity. The result, Sazón, opened in late 2015. “I think he was the most under appreciated chef in Santa Fe,” Becerra says of Olea. “We had all the right ingredients: a great chef, an iconic location, gorgeous art and interior design provided by my wife… and it all came together.” But Becerra’s contribution to Sazón goes beyond enthusiastic backing. As an ardent wine collector, he added his own expertise to the menu in the form of a superb wine list. “We asked ourselves
Of course, Mexico is Olea’s specialty. Originally from Mexico City, Olea focuses his cuisine on mole, though his definition of mole goes far beyond the chocolate-based sauce most of us think of. “On a daily basis, we have anywhere from three to six different moles. People think of mole as one kind of sauce, but mole is really the flavors of Mexican cuisine,” he says. Sazón will soon be offering jars of Olea’s mole, as diners have repeatedly expressed interest in taking certain sauces home. what the best wines are to pair with Fernando’s menu,” describes Becerra. Olea adds: “It’s about more than offering great wines at a great value to our guests. We also wanted to offer wines that paired with the cuisine.” For example, the Spanish tempranillo and garnacha wines have a depth of flavor that pair well with Olea’s similarly flavorful food.
This fall, Olea introduces zucchini blossoms in dishes like the sopa de flor de calabaza, a traditional soup from Oaxaca served with little balls of corn infused with queso fresco. He’ll also be serving up his famed Sopa de Amor, where he plays with temperature and texture. “I mix hot and cold, sweet and savory. It’s a cream made of poblano peppers on blue crab meat, topped with amaretto foam, sprinkled with chocolate,” he describes.
Becerra lived in Europe half his life, and attests that Europeans tend to eat out more and drink more wine than Americans. As a result, the markup for a nice bottle of wine across the pond isn’t as excessive as you often find in the states. Sazón’s wine pricing policy strives to follow the European model. “You can have a great meal and a world-class bottle of wine at a price that won’t make
Essentially, Sazón is innovating what it means to be a Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe by offering world class wines paired with Mexican cuisine straight from the source. Sazón 221 Shelby St. 505.983.8604 SazonSantaFe.com