While it is easy to pair wines with some cuisines, pairing wine with Indian food is potentially challenging. Indian cuisine is complex due to the varying heat levels and spice combinations. Pairing wine with spicy food is just one reason why choosing the right wine to match your Indian meal is likely to be tricky.
Another reason is that people often serve an array of dishes and accompaniments when eating Indian food, so there are often contrasting flavours served in one meal, and these may match different wine flavour profiles. To help you to pair an Indian meal with wine, here are some of the best wine pairings for Indian food.
Things to Consider When Pairing Wine with Indian Food
You need to make several considerations when pairing wines with Indian food. The two main questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a wine to go with Indian food are:
- What is the sauce? While in other cuisines, you need to pair the wine with the protein, it is better to focus on pairing the wine with the sauce in Indian cuisine, says Wine Enthusiast. Our recommendations for the different types of Indian sauces are below.
- How spicy is the dish? Spice levels are important, as you need to balance the heat. To do this, you need to find wines that have the following traits:
- Lower alcohol content- works best with curries that contain chilli
- Some sweetness- balances against the spices
- They are best served cold- combats the richness and heat of the curry
Pairing Wine with Tomato-Based Curries
Many Indian dishes have a tomato-based sauce combined with other ingredients and spices. Dishes such as jalfrezi, vindaloo, madras, and patia all boast a tomato-based sauce. As most tomato-based curries also have a medium to high spice level, you will need to pair them with wines that have a fruity profile, so red and rose wines work best. Some suggestions are:
- Sparkling or still rose
- Light to medium fruity reds, such as pinot noir, Gamay, merlot, or Carignan
Wine Parings for Cream-Based Indian Sauces
Other curries have a cream-based sauce. Some examples include tikka masala, makhani, pasanda, Kashmiri Rogan josh, and korma. The creamy sauces are made using either cream, coconut milk, or yoghurt. Although they also contain spices, the heat level is often lower because the fats in the cream, coconut milk, or yoghurt absorb the spice levels.
When pairing wine with Indian food with a cream base, you should opt for deeper red wines with medium tannins or deep-coloured rose wines, as these pair well with cream. Alternatively, opt for wines with some tart fruitiness or flavours of brown spices. Examples of wines include Lambrusco, sparkling rose, cabernet franc, zinfandel, Carignan, or Sangiovese. These will pair well with out cheat’s leftover turkey curry.
Pairing Wine with Indian Dishes with a Herb Base
Some Indian dishes have a herb base, sometimes called a green sauce. These have a more floral and aromatic depth than some tomato or cream-based dishes and a completely different flavour profile. Therefore, pairing wine with Indian food with a herb base is different.
It would be best if you paired these Indian dishes with wines that will highlight the herbal element, and chilled white wines are perfect. Some white wine pairings for Indian food are:
- Sauvignon blanc
- Dry or sweet Riesling
- Dry Chenin blanc
Choosing a Wine for Vegetarian Indian Dishes
Even if you do not follow a vegetarian diet, you may enjoy some vegetarian Indian dishes, either as a meal or as accompaniments to a meat or seafood dish. Two of the most common ingredients in vegetarian Indian dishes are paneer and spinach. A riesling is a good option for both these ingredients as it has a freshness that won’t overpower the spinach, a creaminess that complements the paneer, and a sweetness that will balance any spices. You should try Riesling with our spinach and cauliflower curry, saag aloo, sweet potato saag aloo, kala chana saag, and saag bhaji.
Overall Best Options for Pairing Wine with Indian Food
If you are still unsure which wines to pair with Indian food, or you are eating several dishes that will work well with different wines, then there are some go-to wines to pair with spicy food that works well with most dishes, says Wine Folly. Some of the best options include:
- Riesling
- Sparkling rose
- Gamay
- Gruner Veltliner
- Prosecco
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- Best Red Wines for Cooking
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Have you found a wine that complements the flavours of Indian food perfectly? Let us know your recommendations for pairing wine with Indian food below.