My Favorite Trader Joe's Wine Pairs Perfectly With Fish Tacos And Costs $6

Trader Joe's is my go-to spot for affordable yet high-quality wine from around the world. I'm far from a fine wine connoisseur, but I appreciate the fact that I can pick up the perfect bottle of Spanish or French wine to go with pretty much any meal I make, and it will almost always be under $10. During the summer, my favorite is Espiral Vinho Verde, a light, sparkling white wine from Northern Portugal. 

It's around $6 a bottle, and has a crisp, refreshing taste that is slightly tangy and melon-y, making it one of the best Trader Joe's wines to drink during summer. It's also a great match for fish tacos — the ingredients for which I can also pick up at TJ's. Some people describe Espiral Vinho Verde as having a buttery, chardonnay-like taste. On first sip, however, the flavor I notice most is similar to the tangy bite of a green apple, followed by a slightly sweet note of honeydew melon. The wine, which is a Trader Joe's exclusive, is made from a blend of white grapes from the Vinho Verde region of Minho, Portugal.

The crisp, light, and slightly fruity wine pairs perfectly with the flaky white fish I use for tacos. I dress the tacos with salsa verde, cabbage slaw, and a homemade avocado lime crema. The acidic, citrusy flavor of the wine cuts through the richer, heavier breading on the fish, making it one of the best types of wine to pair with fish tacos. And though it is a sweeter, fizzier wine, it's a refreshing choice for any meal eaten on a hot, humid summer night.

All of the ingredients I use to make fish tacos are available at Trader Joe's for under $20: Trader Joe's Corn & Wheat Tortillas, Battered Fish Nuggets, Salsa Verde, and Organic Coleslaw Mix. I love this mix because it's an amazing meal prep shortcut that eliminates the need to shred cabbage and carrots myself. I also make an easy, five-minute avocado crema sauce using my food processor. I blend the flesh of two ripe avocados with Mexican crema, garlic, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt. 

The TJ's fish nuggets crisp up perfectly in the air fryer at 400 F for about 10 minutes. Of course, you can make your own air fryer fish nuggets from scratch, but on hot summer nights, I really like to make fast, simple meals that don't require a lot of time in front of the stove. When the fish is ready, I place two pieces in the corn tortilla and cover them with the cabbage mix. This keeps the sauce from making the fish wet and soggy. 

Finally, I drizzle the taco with crema and salsa verde and squeeze the juice of a couple lime wedges on top. The result is a blend of crunchy, breaded fish and tangy, crispy coleslaw with the rich, buttery flavors of the crema and the zesty citrus of the lime and salsa. When you follow your first bite with a refreshing sip of the Espiral Vinho Verde, you'll see how the light, fruity, fizzy taste offers the optimal balance for the slight heaviness of the fried fish.