We Tried ‘Jalapeño Sauvignon Blanc’ so You Don’t Have To

Putting ice cubes in wine was already a bit controversial. But frozen sliced jalapeños? Let the pearl-clutching begin. 

A new, semi-sacriligious beverage trend is taking off on TikTok, with some creators calling jalapeño-flecked white wine the drink of the summer. The search for “Jalapeño Sauvignon Blanc,” which is exactly what it sounds like, has over 2.5 million views on the video app. The “recipe” is simple: Slice jalapeños, freeze them and plop them into a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. 

One creator raves, “I fear I will never be able to drink my Sauvy B the same way again.” 

While my initial response was skepticism and confusion, I couldn’t stop my legs from taking me to the wine store the second it opened and picking out a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to try it with. I asked Mathilde Berta, general manager at Blue Angel Wines in Brooklyn, to recommend a Sauvignon Blanc—then sheepishly told her what I was buying it for. Stunned and a little horrified, she asked to see the videos. I showed her.

“Remove the god damn seeds, you sociopaths!” she shouted.

But, Is It the Worst Idea Ever?

After Berta had a moment to calm down, she began to wrap her brain around the idea’s potential. “It really depends on what kind of Sauv you’re going to get,” she said, noting that a French one might potentially be too flinty and acidic to mesh with bracing jalapeño. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which often has passionfruit and bell pepper aromas, made a bit more sense to her. “I’d think a Basque region Txakolina white or rosé could work, because of the bell pepper notes,” she added. “If you’re going to do something, make it really work.”

Anna-Christina Cabrales, tasting director for Wine Enthusiast who reviews wines from France, was highly skeptical. She did, however, acknowledge that plenty of wines evoke peppers. 

“When you taste those peppers, in wine, you know where you are,” she says. “When I get jalapeño, I am Chile. When I get more of these tequila and cilantro notes, and green pepper, I’m in New Zealand.”

These flavor parallels inform how she pairs food with wine. But putting those foods in the wine? Where does it end? “Are we gonna start putting frozen bars of butter into Chardonnay?!,” she says.

Some (Do Not) Like It Hot

Undeterred, I scurried home to slice a jalapeño, remove the seeds and freeze the slices. As my South African Sauvignon Blanc chilled in my fridge, I considered how much I love savory cocktails, as well as jalapeño margs, and tried to open my mind to the possibility that slices of frozen produce could enhance a perfectly decent white wine.

When I assembled the drink, plopping in just four thin slices of jalapeño, I was struck immediately by the fresh and earthy pepper aromas, which were very pleasant. Upon first sip, I was surprised by just how much heat had already infused throughout, even though the slices had only been soaking for a few seconds. The spicy marg lover in me enjoyed the sensation.

One sip, however, was enough. While the Sauvignon Blanc itself was perfectly serviceable–a $15 bottle from the Western Cape–it was a bit too heavy handed for me. The key for this drink to work is choosing the absolute perfect Sauvignon Blanc. 

But then again, if you’re buying the perfect Sauvignon Blanc, why are you putting peppers in it?

More Drink Trends Coverage

• Why is there such a big appeal to tiny cocktails? We investigate. 
• We’re putting our foot down: The savory martini trend has gone way too far. 
• We are, however, absolutely here for the dill cocktail trend. 
• Millennials are changing the wine industry. Here’s why that’s a good thing. 

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