Wine & dine desi style

by Glynda Alves

If you’re confused about which wine suits Indian cuisine, leaf through Michael Swamy’s Guide to Pairing Indian Food and Wine.

It offers a complete guide on how to pair Indian dishes with wine. Chicken tikka This wine is best paired with Chenin Blanc.

It has the aroma of honey and lime with a crisp, clean, and slightly acidic taste. Apart from tikka, it goes well with shellfish, pani puri and other chaats.

Butter chicken This rich gravy is best served with Reisling. The colour is a light green yellow when young that turns into deep gold with age. It has a fresh fruity lime grape essence and crisp, clean and well-balanced taste.

Goan prawn curry The best wine to sip on when digging into this dish is Sauvignon Blanc. It has an intense grassy aroma with tropical fruits. It goes well with Lucknowi cuisine as well.

Samosas Chardonnay works well with Indian snacks such as samosas. It is full-bodied, medium yellow and gets darker with age. It has the essence of melon, peach and oak and has a rich buttery taste. Surprisingly, this wine can also be enjoyed with turkey, pork and light gravies.

Kebabs A deep red wine with an intense berry and fruity aroma and texture, usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, goes well with kebabs as well as with subtle flavoured dishes like palak paneer.

Spicy fish Verdelho should be your wine of choice. With an aroma of tropical nuts this full bodied wine has a pleasant taste of apricot, pineapple and passion fruits. It’s a good accompaniment to spicy fish, creamy gravies and even fried foods.

Curry Chablis is ideal to pair with seafood and mild coastal curries. The straw coloured wine with a tinge of green has a herblike flavour.

Spicy lamb The best wine for this dish is Shiraz. It is a full flavoured spicy wine usually medium to dry.