Nachos and loaded fries

Nachos and loaded fries

Assuming tortilla chips or fries loaded with melted cheese, jalapeno, salsa and sour cream, sometimes with chilli beef.

These plates pile cheese, chilli and sour cream onto something fried and salty. The wine needs acidity or bubbles for the fat, a touch of sweetness or low alcohol for the chilli, and no firm tannin, which the heat and cheese turn harsh. Fruity, fresh and simple beats serious and oaky here.

Pairs Perfectly. Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany, off dry. Low in alcohol with a touch of sweetness that calms jalapeno heat and searing acidity that cuts the cheese and salsa. For a dry glass, the Cava Rosado below does the same job with bubbles.

Pairs Well. Pale Californian rosé. Bright, dry and red fruited, and at home with salsa and guacamole.

Pairs Well. Darker Cava Rosado, Penedès, Spain. Dry sparkling pink with red fruit, whose bubbles scatter chilli heat and scrub the fat.

Worth Seeking Out

País from Maule, Chile. A pale, tart red from old vines, served cool, light enough for chilli and savoury enough for beef.

Avoid

Big, oaky, high alcohol reds. Alcohol makes chilli burn, and tannin turns harsh against heat and melted cheese.

Failing That

A pale White Zinfandel, California.

If All Else Fails

Albariño, Rías Baixas.

Want to be able to craft answers like this? The Vinealto Wine Coach takes you from the basics to advanced.