Wines which goes well with Spicy Indian Food

[Randy Caparoso]

In another thread we deduced that someone preferred the Rosemount Traminer-Riesling -- slightly sweet, light and easy drinking. An everyday, affordable choice.

Most times when I eat Indian food, the fare is definitely on the spicy-hot, thick side. This is why those yogurt drinks are so good with these dishes -- the lactic and sweet qualities help absorb all those dense, hot flavors.

So I can't help thinking that the best wines for this are cool and mildly sweet. Things like Traminer-Riesling, White Zinfandel (hey, the ones by producers like De Loach and Santino can be very fine!), and New World Rieslings (Jekel or J. Lohr from Monterey, Hogue or Chateau Ste. Michelle from Washington State, for starters).

So here's what I'm building up to: Food writers like David Rosengarten and Joshua Wesson champion the cause of German Riesling with Indian food, because the alcohol is lower (the "hot" taste of high alcohol, like you find in Alsatian wines, tends to exasperate sensations of heat in spicy foods) plus the soothing benefits of sugar. The thinking is very sound.

I think a very fine German Riesling makes the grandest choice of all for special occasions when you're serving Indian food. I'd personally opt for Riesling Kabinett (slightly sweet with mild tartness) or Riesling Spatlese (medium sweet, even softer and more delicate). When I was in Germany, once, I was given a taste test of a dozen or so different German wines to try with a thick, gooey, super-hot lamb curry, and a Riesling Auslese from the Mosel River (very sweet, and barely 8% alcohol) was the best for me!

Granted, most consumers today SAY they prefer dry wine. But when it comes to hot foods -- Asian, Indian, Mexican, South American, etc. -- I've seen even avowed dry wine drinkers gravitate to slightly to medium sweet wines.


[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 03-26-2002).]