Going out for a Balti?  How about a glass of wine to match?  Now that curry has replaced fish-and-chips and roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding as our national dishes, the task is to find a suitable combination.  The traditional fare demanded a nice Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) for the fish, and a good honest claret for the beef, but the wide variety of spices common to Indian cuisine demands a more thoughtful approach.

In an Indian restaurant, the conventional wisdom is to drink beer and, up to a point, it works.  An ice-cold lager has the propensity to clean and refresh the palate, but gives little back in return.    The excitement of wine is in its innate ability to interact with the dish, adding additional flavours and seasoning.

The attributes of a good curry match are relatively simple, be it red or white.  The main requirement is up-front fruit, with low levels of tannin (in the case of red), and no oak.  Too much tannin or oak simply dries out the wine and obstructs the flavours in the food, but surprisingly, the heat of a curry can often be offset by an inherent sweetness in the wine.  Be warned, though, it’s not a cuisine for such classic wines as Burgundy or Bordeaux!

Believe it or not, most herbs and spices used in Indian cuisine are reasonably wine-friendly.  Of course, powerful and highly-spiced dishes such as a Vindaloo will, in most cases, obliterate a wine, but that’s more a question of matching weight.  Big flavours call for a full-bodied wine.

If there is a problem, then it’s the format of an Indian meal which tends to be a spread of many different dishes, with layers of flavours and textures  This makes it difficult to prescribe an exact match, other than a recommendation that the wines need to be flexible and accommodating.

Indian culinary expert, Anita Sharma-James, of The Spice Trade, kindly prepared the following dishes for us.

        Vegetable Samosas and accompaniments (pickles, etc)
        Chicken Thariwala (onion and tomato sauce)
        Mattar Paneer (vegetarian option) (Indian cheese in an onion and
                Tomato sauce)
        Chana Saag (chickpeas and spinach)

Against which I supplied the following wines:

1.      Chateau de Putille Anjou Blanc 2005 (a crisp, pear-fruited white, with a creamy, off-dry finish)
2.     Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling 2005 (plasticine and lime notes lubricated with diesel).
3.     Domaine de Pellehaut Rose 2005 (a light minerally strawberry fruited rose)
4.     The Society’s Exhibition Morgon 2005 (generous, ripe and concentrated raspberry fruit, wrapped around a core of acidity)
5.     Minervois Ste Eulalie 2004 (peppery redcurrant and raspberry fruit, with a sweet, long finish)
6.     Copertino Eloquenzia 2003 (a spicy, black-fruited Southern Italian from Negroamaro grapes)

The results
From a personal perspective, the Rose was overwhelmed, but the Chateau de Putille was a real star, particularly with the chicken.  The Jim Barry worked with the Samosa and chutney, but lacked exuberance.  The Morgon almost subdued the spiciness of the dishes, and worked well throughout.  The pick of the bunch, though, was the Minervois, which reciprocally enhanced both the Chicken and Chickpea dishes.  Less effective, though, was the Italian, which just emphasised the spice.

However, each table came up with a different set of solutions.  One group thought the Anjou Blanc was a good food wine, but preferred the Riesling.  The Morgon was metallic and the best match was the Copertino.  The next table found the Anjou bland and sweet, loathed the Morgon, but loved the Rose and the Italian.

The third table preferred the whites to the reds, and enjoyed the Rose, but the fourth table thought the Italian and the Rose were the best, but found the Morgon metallic.  The last group preferred the reds which improved when combined with food.

A mixed bag and a confusing set of results, but wasn’t it just fascinating and fun!  With something like 24 separate pairings of wine and food, it was always going to be an impossible exercise, but the evening did prove that curries do go with wine.

Our special thanks to Anita Sharma-James and her assistant.  Anita specialises in Indian Cookery Courses and hosting private dinner partieis.  For further details, e.mail her on: thespicetrade@aol.com, or telephone: 01527.873303.

Coming up ……….

Tuesday,  26th June 2007
A blind tasting, pitting a popular Champagne brand against some top-quality sparklers from around the globe.  Is Champagne worth the hype or the money, and can you spot the difference?  Due to the high cost of the wines, tonight’s entry will be £15 per head.

Friday, 20th July 2007
Usual venue (Margaret Hale’s back garden) and a great opportunity to let our hair down and wash down those burgers and sausages with some carefully-chosen wines.  All profits will offset the cost of the wines for the Annual Dinner.  Tickets on sale now at £15.00 a head.

Tuesday, 21st August 2007 (one week earlier than usual):  Rare and Curious Whites
Fed up with the ubiquitous Chardonnay., Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio?  Then this tasting is a perfect opportunity for you to try something really different and unusual.  £10.00 per head entry

Tuesday, 18th September 2007 (one week earlier than usual): Old World or New World?
In an age of flying winemakers, it’s said that the wines from the Old and New Worlds are becoming closer and more uniform.  This blind tasting is an opportunity for you to test your own senses and preferences.  £10.00 per head entry

Tuesday, 30th October 2007:  The Reds of South-West France
An opportunity to explore a curious patchwork of appellations, with some familiar and not-so-familiar wine styles.  Entry is £10.00 per head

And a little further in advance …. For your diary ….

Friday, 25th January 2008 – Bin Ends Annual Dinner
At Opus  Restaurant in Birmingham.  Tickets will be on sale later in the year

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Please note my website link:
www.clives-wines.com