Chicken & cheese empanadas
The rule of thumb
Match the wine to what is inside, not to the fact that it is an empanada. The pastry itself is neutral; the filling decides everything. Two simple lines to remember:
- Beef → red. Medium-bodied, juicy reds like Bonarda and Malbec.
- Cheese, vegetable, corn or seafood → white. A crisp, aromatic Torrontés, almost always.
Everything below is just refinement of these two lines.
Mendocinas (Mendoza)
Mendocinas (Mendoza)
The classic beef empanada of Mendoza — usually with ground beef, plenty of fried onion, sometimes potato and egg. Softer, juicier filling. The natural pairing is the region's own grape: a fresh, young Mendoza Malbec, ideally without too much oak. If the empanada is the heavier, hand-cut beef version (carne al cuchillo) or a Uco Valley take with more spice, step up to a richer, oak-aged Malbec from the Uco Valley or the north.
Salteñas (Salta)
Salteñas (Salta)
The spicier northern empanada, with chili, raisins, green olive and often hard-boiled egg. The filling is sweet, savory and spicy at once. This is where most travelers reach for Malbec — and most locals don't. The classic regional pairing is Torrontés, the floral white from the same high-altitude vineyards of Salta and Cafayate. Its aromatic lift and bright acidity handle the spice far better than a tannic red, and the regional logic (“what grows together goes together”) is unbeatable. If you must go red, choose a softer, fruitier Bonarda over Malbec.
Tucumanas (Tucumán)
Tucumanas (Tucumán)
Famously juicy, smaller, often deep-fried. Spicy and rich. A medium-bodied Bonarda is the easygoing match; a softer Malbec also works.
