I think that this post is going
to be super useful for almost everyone out there who loves their wines and
their Indian food but never can appropriately mix the two.
When trying to mix wine and
Indian food one must keep in mind the following:
1)
Everyone has grown up with a different set of tastes
and one can only make a suggestion. We all have a different palettes and if you
discover a super combo for yourself that you absolutely love nothing like it!
2)
These guidelines will give you a basic picture of the
type of wine that you are dealing with and what would be the best suggested
food type and taste category (sweet, sour, creamy etc…) that your wine would go
with.
There are two schools of thought
when it comes to wine – Old World and New world wines. The difference between
the two is that the following:
Old World wine producers (Namely
France, Italy, Spain etc…) have demarcated certain areas after studying the
soil and determined that a particular grape type was best suited to grow there.
There could be mixture of these grapes that would go into making the wine or
just one grape type but that was less significant than the grape growing
region. Therefore you have wines like – Bordeaux, Chateauneuf-du-Pape,
Champagne etc… which are actually regions in France. So basic point being, the
region is more important than the grape type.
New World Wine countries such as
New Zealand, California (USA) etc... Said …wait a minute, isn’t that waaay too
complex? I mean, each grape type has certain distinctive features and wouldn’t
it just be easier for people who like to drink wine but are not experts to
distinguish wines by the kind of grape that has been used in making the wine?
Which actually makes sense, and sure as hell makes it much easier to identify
wines. Like for example my Chenin Blanc can range from downright awful to
absolutely delightful but I know it always will be a light and fruity wine. And
so on with Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon – which are all Grape
varietals or types of grapes
Therefore I’m going to give you
the basic guideline on the basis of the Grape varietal method and not the other
way round. I also figured that if you’re gonna have such a high end Indian meal, you will have a
sommelier or a server who will be able to guide you on Old World Wines.
Chenin Blanc:
As a grape, the Chenin Blanc
is a mellow, wonderfully fruity wine. It normally has hints of tropical fruits
such as pineapples, pears, peaches, melon, guava etc…This particular grape, and
the wine made from it, pairs really well with Indian food. Paneer Tikka, Chicken
Tikka and other tandoori items are sure shot favourites with this lively and
refreshing wine. Cashew nut based gravies are also a really good match for the
Chenin blanc as the heaviness of the gravies are cut by the mellowness of the
wine. Other Parsi Dishes like Patra ni Machi, Saas ni Machi, Berry Pulav are
perfect matches with the chenin Blanc as it works well with the hint of sweet
flavours to bring the meal together. Salads with Beetroot, Carrots, Guavas,
Channa Chaats are also great matches for the Chenin Blanc. In Marwadi Cuisine,
the Dal Bhati with the sweet Churma has a perfect partner with the Chenin
Blanc. Last but not at all least, Gujarati Thali. I mean the sweetness of the
dal, the kadhi, the sweet and sour pickles and the ghee laden fare cannot find
a better harmony (except if you’re fixated on having lassi
with your thali!).
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