The beautiful aqua blue water
beckoned me. The heat of the sand
between my toes warmed me inside and out.
Everyone around me ordered a margarita.
However, I asked for the wine list!
Our recent trip to Cancun might have seemed an odd place to be looking
for wine, yet I wasn’t disappointed.
Margaritas and pina coladas may have been the rage, but for me, it was
still a wine adventure!
The first night we arrived, I, of
course, had to have a margarita (on the rocks, with salt, please). It just so happened this ONE drink was the
size of my head! After that, I was ready
for a glass of vino. The hotel sports
bar had a wine list: house red and house
white. Yes, that was the entire list. My companion and I were quite fearful about
ordering the house red, but when the server brought out a bottle of Tempranillo
and beautiful Schott Swiesel stemware, we were very pleasantly surprised! Night one:
wine mission accomplished!
Night two was pizza, pasta, and
vino night at the hotel buffet. Still
basking in the glow from my lucky wine break the night before (and the tan I
was working on from eight hours on the beach), my family and I decided to enjoy
the buffet. Again, I was very impressed
with the wine list, which included a decent variety and number of bottles. We choose the Casa Madero 2010 Cabernet
Sauvignon. This reasonably-priced, one-hundred
percent Cabernet was from the Baja region of Mexico--on the western side of the
country--from the Parras Valley. It was
filled with cherry, currant, and cedar.
Though not as bold as a California Cab, I enjoyed the wine with homemade
pesto from the pasta bar. Night two: wine mission accomplished!
Night three found us experiencing a
wonderfully, upscale restaurant: Harry’s Prime Steakhouse and Raw Bar, on the
lagoon side of the Hotel Zone in downtown Cancun. The food, the wine, and the service were all
impeccable. This was a wonderful
experience! From Kobe beef to sushi to
seafood, Harry’s was such a special treat.
My family ordered sizzling steaks cooked perfectly (medium rare for us: red, warm center). I had the crab cakes as my meal with truffle
mashed potatoes; my mouth is watering again just thinking of the potatoes! The wine list was equally impressive. I could have ordered anything from the U.S.,
France, Mexico, Spain, or anywhere in between.
My choices ranged from half bottle to magnum in size, and the price was
from the very reasonable to the very expensive, like a Petrus, a Mouton
Rothschild, or an Opus One. This evening we sipped another Mexican wine: L.A. Cetto 2009 Nebbiolo. I am a Nebbiolo lover, and this bottle (about
twenty dollars, U.S.) from the Ensenada region of the Baja area was an
interesting Nebbiolo. Aged for 14
months, it was more tannic and not as smooth as a typical Italian Nebbiolo;
however, it was a beautiful ruby red, with spice and leather exploding from the
bottle. It was not the best pairing for
my crab cakes, but I ordered the crab knowing this. That being said, the bite of steak I snagged
from my husband’s plate was a much better match for the tannic red. After the meal, and wine, and dessert (for
the teenage, growing son) the server brought a HUGE pole of cotton candy, a fun
and functional way to end the meal with sweet on the palette! Night three: wine mission accomplished!
Alas, our time in the sunshine had
to end, and our travels home began. We
faced an incredibly long layover in Houston, at the George Bush International
Airport. We found our gate and sat
reading and napping after having breakfast in the airport. Just before the three hours was over, we
decided to go for a short, pre-flight walk to stretch our legs, and just around
the corner from where we sat (for three hours…did I say this already!) was the
cutest little wine bar, Le Grand Comptoir.
It was such a site for sore eyes; yet, at this point there was only
about fifteen minutes left until our boarding time for the flight, so I didn’t
get to sit, sip, and enjoy the fabulous selection of wines teasing me from the
front window of the establishment. I
spotted Opus One, Louis Jadot, and other reputable producers. I was truly
disappointed at being so close, yet so far from one more wine experience on our
trip! If there ever is a next time I
layover in Houston, Le Grand Comptoir will be my FIRST stop. Day four:
wine mission failed. (Insert sad
face here.)
Though most travelers go to the
beautiful beaches of Cancun to have their toes in the water, their “rear” in
the sand, and a margarita in their hand, I went for the beautiful beaches,
pristine water, Mexican sun, and any unique wine I could find. I am proud to say, Cancun lived up to my wine
standards!
