Wine and Indian Cuisine

[Monica Bhide]

Randall -- Thanks for doing this wonderful Q&A.

I am curious as to your opinion on pairing wines with Indian food. The Indian forum has had a very spirited discussion on this topic - Indian food and wine - ranging from "don't even try" to "how can you not pair wines with Indian food"

I am a novice in this area but eager to learn more. I would love to hear your opinion.

Thank you

[Randall Grahm]

Dear Monica,

I have not had a lot of experience pairing wine w/ Indian food but offhand, I know that a slightly off-dry riesling would work brilliantly (Kabinett or Spaetlese). As far as reds, I would go with wines that are not tannic and not oaky. A good fruity grenache or perhaps even syrah might work well. We produce a wine called Clos de Gilroy that I think might actually be just perfecto. Good luck. RG.