More Than Sea Foam Showing Up Along The Sea of Cortez

Champagne foam on lamb ravioli with pesto

Molecular gastronomy, which has swept through the kitchens of tony restaurants in the U.S. over the past decade, is washing up on the shores of the Sea of Cortez.

This is especially true at De Cortez Grill and Restaurant perched just above the beach at the Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Golf & Spa Resort on the northeastern outskirts of Cabo San Lucas.

No fewer than three of the four courses in a recent wine-pairing dinner were topped with bubbly emulsions - serrano chile pepper on scallop, champagne with a lacing of lamb on ravioli plump with lamb, and more chile pepper on a chorizo risotto blackened with squid ink.

They played their roles well, adding fleeting notes of complimentary flavor and color to the leading ingredients. They were so airy there was no fear they would distract from the point of the exercise, which was to measure the compatability of the chosen wines with the dishes.

In this instance, all the wines were Mexican, a surprise given that restaurants at the southern reaches of the Baja peninsula typically promote Chilean, Argentine, Spanish and Californian wine before the wines of Mexico. That's understandable, given the uneven quality of so many Mexican wines, a situation complicated by a pricing strategy and taxation scheme that inflates the cost of the wines so much that consumers aren't exactly encouraged to explore releases from unfamiliar appellations and producers.

At De Cortez, however, executive chef Manuel De Luca and sommelier Adolfodo Vidaca like to showcase Mexican wines from the restaurant's 500-selection wine list.

They also don't shy from unorthodox pairings. The lamb ravioli, for one, was paired with chardonnay rather than the predictable cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel or syrah. The wine was the lean and lively L.A. Cetto 2011 Valle de Guadalupe Reserva Privada Chardonnay, whose citric fruit, refreshing acidity and long oak-enhanced finish gave it enough power to stand up easily to the succulent meat.

Another winner was the Casa Madero 2010 Valle de Parras 3v, a dark, dry and firm blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and tempranillo. It had both the concentrated fruit and solid structure to stand up to the rich and busy risotto finished with a chile-pepper emulsion.

Another Casa Madero wine, the 2010 Montevina Chardonnay/Semillon, was a gutsy choice to pair with a selection of seafood, including the scallop with the serrano-chile-pepper emulsion and salmon tartar sprinkled with chile powder. With ample fruit, sharp acidity and surprising length, the wine didn't at all back down from the chilies.

The wine pairings are open to the resort's guests and non-guests alike every night but Monday, though reservations are required and each group must consist of at least four diners. Cost is $45 per person. For more information or to make a reservation, call 624.145.8000, the local number.