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Wine and Spice… Pairing wine with curry!

Ok, so for most people beer would be the best bevvy to match with curry. But if you’re a wino like me, there are wine options. However, certain ‘rules’ need be observed to get the best tasting results.

India is not a wine drinking nation, this was helped partly by the Phylloxera louse at the end of the 19th Century and partly by the prohibition of alcohol once independent from British Empire. Public opinion, religious pressures and I suspect, the Brits’ demonstration of an altogether dark side to the vino, also played it’s part.

paul-cluver-riesling-close-encounter-650

Now how about that Indian cuisine? Curry in its many guises is one of the most challenging foods to match with wine; so many complex spicy flavours, textures and acidity to take into account.

The heat from chillies however, pose the biggest challenge, as these actually numb our tastebuds.

This ‘heat’ from spices, reacts with the tannins in wine as it strips the fruit flavours making it more astringent, almost metallic in flavour…..blarg! So when choosing a wine to match a hot curry, take into consideration how ‘hot’ or ‘spicy’ the dish is, this will determine how much fruit and sweetness to look for in a wine to balance the flavours.

When considering flavours, always look out for the most prominent flavour in the dish – this is the one to find the best wine match to.

So, for example in a lamb based dish like Rogan josh, the meat will exercise more influence on the pairing and a red wine is in order, while in a delicate fish or chicken based dish, the sauce will become more important and this is what you should base your match on.

The most common wine match for curry is most definitely Gewurtztraminer, an aromatic variety with high natural sugars giving rise to delightful off dry whites… lychees, roses, Turkish delight with floral tinges in a glass. Perfect! The sweetness in these wines offsets the hot flavours from chilli beautifully.

For Indian currys when looking for a red or white wine, always look for wines with generous fruit, sweetness and low tannins.

Merlot is a good option as it has softer tannins combined with ripe plum flavours, especially when chilled down slightly.

domaine-de-triennes-rose-2011 A weighty champagne preferably off-dry, works extremely well too as the bubbles help cool the mouth. Mmm, as if we needed another excuse to pop a cork. Viognier is a good option as it has low acidity, and a sweet edge with enough body to hold its own against strong flavours like those found in for example a chicken korma, flavoured with garlic, ginger, cumin, Yoghurt and chilli.

A rosé, like the one I’ve just pulled the cork on would do the trick! The 2011 Domaine Triennes Rosé from Provence. This is an unwooded rosé made from mostly Cinsault and Grenache. An onion skin coloured wine yielding all the perfumes of Provence. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, wild rose, geranium and jasmin with a medium bodied palate and a lovely creamy, round mouthfeel. Simply a beautifully fresh, balanced and elegant example from the ancestral home of rosé.

On the local side of things, I would go with a ‘Close Encounter’ Riesling from Paul Cluver. Riesling like Gewurtztraminer are both aromatic varietals, this example has higher residual sugar (unfermented sugar) with lovely notes of apple and lime which follow through to the beautifully balanced palate-‘sweet and sour tug of war’ and creamy mouthfeel. A winner!

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Avatar of Guy Harcourt-Wood
Guy Harcourt-Wood (have 3 posts in total)
Guy Harcourt-Wood has always had a fascination with wine but it was only once he arrived in London in 1999 that his vinous career truly began. After working for various catering companies and trying his hand at photography, he happened one day to walk past Chez Bruce, on the Wandsworth Common and for some reason he felt drawn to the place. And this is where Guy’s life changed completely, as his great journey into wine began. Fortunately, as it transpired, his table service skills weren't up to much and Chez Bruce almost gave him the boot. But the incumbent sommelier needed an assistant, and thus a career in wine was born. After two and a half years at Chez Bruce Guy left with a great practical knowledge of fine wine and a WSET Advanced Certificate, for which he studied while in London. He went on to work at Michelin-starred Establishments of Nobu, Pied-a-Terre, Theo Randall and The Ledbury. Guy left the service industry another 7 years richer in valuable wine, food pairing and service knowledge, having worked with extensive wine lists from all regions of the world. Numerous wine trips to Europe served to deepen his insight into some of the finest wine producing countries in the world. Returning to the Cape in 2008, Guy began consulting to the trade and private clients, as well as hosting fine wine tasting events. Ultimately his love, and his nose for the greatest Burgundy, Barolo and other such fine things led him to the Great Domaines team, where he forms an integral part of this passionate team.