Written by: Tim Edison

Updated: May 11, 2023

Is It Safe To Drink Tequila After Wine? Can You Mix Them?

Is It Safe To Drink Tequila After Wine? Can You Mix Them?

A lot of people wonder what drinks they can mix, and whether or not it’d actually be dangerous.

That’s why the question of whether or not it’s safe to wine and tequila in the same sitting. I say ‘same sitting,’ but what I mean is drinking both within a very short timeframe, such as drinking both on a night out.

When many people ask whether they can mix wine and tequila, what they normally mean is whether or not there’ll be any negative reactions if they were to mix the two, compared to if they were going to drink just one or the other, or even a combination of two other drinks.

So, with that in mind, can you mix wine and tequila? Well, the answer is a little bit complicated, as it’s one of those ‘yes and no’ questions. But first, let's take a quick look at what tequila and wine actually are.


What Is The Difference Between Wine And Tequila?

In short, tequila is a type of liquor. It’s a distilled spirit that is composed of the blue agave plant, which only really grows in Tequila, Mexico.

Because of that, the vast majority of production facilities of it are located in the area around there. Think of what the Champagne region and wine mean together, and you’re pretty close to how important this region is for the spirit.

According to Mexican Law, tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.

That being said, though, most other parts of the manufacturing process, such as bottling and international shipping, can be done anywhere else. However, in other countries, as long as there’s at least 51% of the drink made up of the blue agave plant, then they can be branded tequila.

Generally speaking, the alcohol content in tequila ranges between 38% and 40%. However, it’s not uncommon to see tequila with an alcohol content as low as 31% and as high as 55%.

Wine, however, couldn’t be more different. The only real similarity between wine and tequila is that they’re both made from either a plant or fruit, so they’ve got a natural core product.

Wine is an alcohol that’s made up of fermented grapes. However, this brings up what exactly fermentation is and how it makes grapes into wine. To sum it up quickly:

Fermentation is when sugar from a fruit, such as a grape or an apple, starts to join with yeast and bacteria.

In most cases, the fruit needs to be crushed and then have these two added; however, with grapes, it’s slightly more complicated than that.

You see, grape juice and sugar are located on the inside of the grape, whereas yeast is abundant in the skin of the grape.

Once the grapes are allowed to ferment, the sugar will start to blend with the yeast and bacteria in order to start creating alcohol.

As the fermentation process proceeds, the sugar content will gradually reduce to around the 2% range, while the alcohol content will gradually increase to between 9% and 12%, depending on how long you let it ferment for.


Different Types Of Tequila

There are multiple types of tequila. Generally speaking, they all offer a different flavor and often have different amounts of alcohol content.

They can be broken down into five different categories, namely:

  • Blanco (white) or Plata (silver): white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels
  • Joven (young) or Oro (gold): usually a mixture, and thus rarely 100% agave plant with added coloring
  • Reposado (rested): aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size
  • Añejo (aged or vintage): aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels
  • Extra Añejo (extra aged or ultra aged): aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Different Types Of Wine

While there are five types of tequila, there are only three different types of wine; red, white and rosé.

Wines generally get their appearance and color from what’s used to create it; stained grapes for Rosé, dark grape skins are used for red and non-colored pulp for white wine.

These generally have different tastes because of that; however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll have different alcohol contents, as that’s normally down to the specific breed of grape, no matter the color, as well as how long it’s left to ferment for.


Can You Mix Wine And Tequila?

Now that you know the key differences between wine and tequila, it’s time to figure out if you can mix them.

As we already mentioned, it’s a bit of a ‘yes and no’ question. There’s little danger in mixing them, as long as you drink responsibly.

The only real danger, according to a number of reports, is knowing your own limits when it comes to alcohol, which is the case regardless of whether you’re mixing your drinks, or what drinks you’re mixing.

That being said, though, if you’re not much of a tequila drinker, then it’s worth noting how alcoholic it actually is.

As we’ve already mentioned, most tequilas are at least 31% and can go up to 55%, meaning that it’s more alcoholic than many other drinks.

Because of that, you’ll need to keep an eye on how much of it that you’re drinking, as well as whatever you’re drinking it with, such as wine.

Because of that, it’s best to stick to your own level of comfort, as well as within any safe limits. After all, everyone needs to drink responsibly, no matter what they’re drinking or mixing.

Having said that, though, it is comparatively safe to drink tequila after wine, or vice versa, as it doesn’t seem to have any more adverse side effects compared to mixing any other drinks. Because of that, you can definitely mix wine and tequila.

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About the Author Tim Edison


Tim started Wine Turtle way back in 2015.
These days he contributes to Wine Turtle (and other renowned wine publications) while continuing his wine education.
Tim's wine of the month is the Coates & Seely Reserve Brut NV (from Hampshire, England).



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