Wine Goes better with Indian Food than Beer, say New York Restaurateurs

Things go better with Coca Cola

Things go better with....... Coke

Not many readers of delWine might remember the coke commercial that ran from 1965-1969 in the USA and the rest of cola- guzzling world, mainly to counter its rival a competitor in the same Genre-Pepsi.  A similar jingle for spicy Indian food with wine or beer could be something like:

Spicy Indian food goes better with wine

Wine goes better than...................beer

I am no jingle writer but I have always believed spicy Indian food goes better with wine; beyond a certain point of chilli madness like some of the dishes in Rajasthan or Kerala may not be a match for wine or beer either-apart from helping you gulp down the food. Most Westerners and a substantial number of Indian drinkers-especially the non wine drinkers assume beer is the go-to beverage with Indian food.

However, experts feel they need to start taking a different approach to the Indian dining experience. Indian food has been bothering wine connoisseurs for a long time because of its complex set of spices and rich sauces which have a strong flavour of their own. Western dishes rely on beverages like white or red wine to provide balance to the food, but Indian dishes have never depended on accompanying beverages to complete them, barring perhaps lassi (buttermilk) or simply water although Ayurvedic doctors don’t recommend water during meal and recommend intake of plenty of water before the meals but not during or at least 30 minutes after the meal.

Countries in the Indian subcontinent such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan have a reputation for having dishes that have a complex and intricate flavour profile. Categorizing them all  and assuming they only go well with beer undermines their potential. According to the New York Times, sommeliers at Indian restaurants in New York have developed an intimate understanding of how wines can elevate the fine dining experience.

Michael Dolinski, the wine director at Junoon, a sophisticated Indian restaurant in New York City, said European dishes were constructed with wine in mind, unlike their Indian counterpart. European cuisine relies on wine to complete the dish with its fruity, sweet, bitter and tangy and refreshing flavours and their acidic and tannic structure. 

Indian dishes stand on their own with various chutneys and sauces. But that does not mean they can only be enjoyed with beer and not more sophisticated beverage like wine. The challenge is to figure out how the wine can bring balance and harmony to the dish. Wine connoisseurs suggest that dishes from the Indian subcontinent can be enjoyed with lively, moderately sweet wines. German Kabinett and Spatlese Rieslings and Demi-sec Vouvrays from the Loire Valley, all of which have plenty of acidity and moderate amount of residual sugar are great options, according to the Article.

Among red wines, spicier wines like Syrah and Cabernet Franc are great options. Anything that is not excessively fruity or oaky is a great way to go. Some suggest that champagne can go really well with fried dishes.

delWine would like to add that for vegetarians, white wines are generally better anyway. In reds, one needs to avoid wines with big tannins-like Cabernet Sauvignon. A few dishes like aubergines, mushroom made dishes go very well with red wines-specially Malbec, Pinot Noir , Beaujolais and Syrah, especially the Australian.  Indian Chenin, Riesling are a great match with most vegetarian meals while Shiraz (Syrah) and blends do well for the vegetarian dishes.

At the end, of course, it is your personal choice - whether in New York or New Delhi. But yes, wine does go better than coke, with Indian food. Try it-you would like it.

Subhash Arora

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