20 May 2026
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Mural de los Poblanos serves more than 200 labels of Mexican wine in its stately downtown Puebla dining room. For a restaurant in a country with a wine industry that’s only taken off in the past few decades, it’s an impressive catalogue. There are delicate whites from the valleys of the Baja peninsula, complex reds from the northern border region, even sparkling wines worth their salt grown in the country’s central highlands.
“Seeing my country consolidate its position in the diversity of Mexican wine styles fuels my passion for understanding the terroir of its different wine-producing states, just as happens in many European regions,” says Jonathan Robles Bravo, the restaurant’s sommelier.
The winner of this year’s MICHELIN Guide Mexico Sommelier Award, presented in partnership with Casa Madero, Robles has become an expert on the fast-growing Mexican selection of grapes and the ways they best complement the country’s cuisine.
Robles studied gastronomy and first started working in the kitchen, where he gained an appreciation for the subtleties of wine pairings. He has led the wine program at El Mural de los Poblanos for a decade, working closely with David Fuentes, the restaurant’s executive chef, who is known for well-executed traditional fare.
“We have seven seasons in which the restaurant adopts a slow food approach, promoting mindful and balanced eating and supporting the consumption of products sourced from local and national producers,” he says. “I select wines that complement different culinary styles and techniques, highlighting the flavors of the land and creating contrasting pairings.”
Chile en nogada and mole poblano, two of the region’s most important dishes, are among Robles’s favorites to find creative pairings for. Both are deeply rich with distinctive, even unusual flavors.
Chile en nogada, a poblano pepper that’s stuffed with a sweet mixture of meat and fruit and drowned in a white walnut sauce, is Mexico’s most patriotic dish, served around the time of the country’s September independence day, when crops grown in the fertile volcanic soil around Puebla are ready for harvest. Mole poblano, a velvety sauce made with a dizzying number of nuts, spices and other ingredients, is a year-round emblem of Mexican cooking.
For dishes so iconic and powerful, Robles proposes a sparkling wine that can “cleanse the palate and allow you to savor each bite as if it were the first.”
“Whether with Champagne or a Mexican sparkling wine, the freshness and dryness on the palate create an ideal contrast for these two emblematic dishes of Puebla cuisine,” he says.
For diners who might expect a cold beer or tequila alongside a table of Mexican food, finding a well-balanced wine pairing brings a special satisfaction to Robles.
“Watching our guests enjoy this unique style fills me with indescribable euphoria,” he says.
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Hero image: The winner of this year’s MICHELIN Guide Mexico Sommelier Award, Jonathan Robles Bravo. © Mural de los Poblanos
