"How can we help L.A. TACO?," read winemaker Adam Vourvoulis's message, immediately after we published that fateful L.A. TACO post on April 11th announcing our dreaded staff furloughs and subsequent do-or-die membership drive.
Like dozens of other talented supporters of L.A. TACO who reached out to our distress signal, Vourvoulis hoped to do his part to help make sure our independent L.A-centered publication didn't shutter.
For Vourvoulis, supporting L.A. TACO at Vin de California, the winery he founded with his wife and fellow wine professional, Kate, in East Pasadena in 2021, meant making an incredibly crushable natural wine (as in wine made simply from grapes and natural yeasts) and donating all the proceeds to make sure we survive.
"We love L.A. TACO, from the food recommendations to the journalism," wrote Vourvoulis. "It has become an L.A. institution. We hate the idea of it not existing anymore and are down to doing whatever we can to help. L.A. TACO is Los Angeles, and so are we."
The idea of sipping a refreshing, locally-made wine with a grip of the city's best tacos was absolutely alluring.
While horchata, ice-cold Modelos, or a Paloma are the first beverages that come to mind when considering taco-pairing, wine—specifically natural wine, which tends to be lower alcohol and lighter—makes a lot of sense since these wines are also usually enjoyed cold. The tannins help you enjoy bite after bite of juicy, fatty meat and the full-flavored salsas that go with them.
We instantly imagine pouring it at TACO MADNESS alongside ten of L.A.'s best taquerías. But first, we had to ensure L.A. TACO would make it to a postponed TACO MADNESS date.
We started our membership drive, and many of you rose to the occasion, flooding us with new memberships and merch sales within the first 24 hours. This was enough to keep our three staffers on the brink of unemployment still working, as we set a new date for TACO MADNESS, this Saturday at 6 PM at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown.
This brings us to L.A. TACO's first-ever collaboration wine, of which there are two. Both will be poured only and exclusively this Saturday at TACO MADNESS. They will not be available for sale or ever made again.
And here they are:
Salsa Roja
This bright and tart wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir from the San Luis Obispo coast, produced in a whole cluster style. It is meant to be served cold and fresh.
Salsa Rosa
This slightly effervescent rosé is perfect for hot summer nights or to bob your head to cumbia while waiting for your carne asada to finish searing. It tastes like a salty watermelon soda and is made from 100% Barbera from Contra Costa.
We hope everyone will come out to try them with us this weekend! Tickets here. Members get in free.
All proceeds from sales this Saturday will go towards supporting our independent street-level journalism.
