Wine pairings with typical Indian dishes

Besides picking out the finest wines available in India, both from domestic estates and international ones that export to us, judges of India Wine Awards, which took place in April end, were also given the task of discerning which ones worked best with typical Indian dishes. The result was rather interesting because they didn't merely try to match the best wine with food, but they selected instead 'wines that went best with select dishes' that are popular across the country, namely veg. biryani, patrani fish, Kerala stew, butter chicken, baingan bharta and seekh kebab. That spirit very much resonates with wine master Sonal Holland's frank admission in a conversation later that "food and wine pairing is not a very objective exercise, it lends itself to a lot of subjectivity. You may enjoy something, but I may not... and so the pairing is driven by a lot of palate preference".

So we quizz her about why thinks the winning pairings worked. Her rationale also gives clues about features and flavour notes to lookout for in wines, when setting a table of desi delicacies.

Kathal (Vegetarian) Biryani with a Sparkling delight

If you look at the vegetarian biryani, it is spicy and yet quite light because it is made of rice. To go with it you want a lighter wine that won't overpower the dish. So an off-dry sparkler or even a Prosecco for example would really pair well. The winner, Casablanca Vino Spumante from Napa Valley, offsets the spice in rice with its sweetness, while allowing you enjoy the layered, complexity of flavours that a slow-cooked/dum biryani offers.

Patra ni fish with a Sauvignon Blanc

A steamed dish, the patrani fish is very delicate and gets a herby-tinge from the chutney marinade and leaf it is wrapped and cooked in. The trophy pairing was text-book perfect – Sauvignon Blanc (Sileni 2016) from the Marlboro region in New Zealand. Anyone in world would agree with it. The lightness of the wine fits just right with the lightness of the dish; the flavours and aromas of both also complement each other.

Kerala Stew with a Pinot Noir

With something that's as flavoursome as a Kerala stew, you don't want a full-bodied wine because that would kill the dish. Yet, you're looking for a wine that also has a depth of flavour and quality to match. That's what the winning wine, a Pinot Noir (Geoff Hardy 2015, from Australia) offers. Moreover, this light-bodied red's characteristic of high acidity acts as a perfect foil to the coconut-based gravy.

Butter Chicken with a Sparkling Brut

Butter chicken went well with a lot of wines, but the Australian Jacob's Creek Sparkling Brut topped the list because its spritz and effervescence cuts right through the richness and creaminess of the north Indian delicacy. This bubbly has the ability to cut through any amount of fat and refreshes your palate, readying it for yet another greasy bite.

Baingan bharta with a red Chene

Made in many ways, baingan bharta can be rich, spicy and full-flavoured. Generally a robust, dominating dish that's also mouth-filling, the bharta would require a wine with some character. When tasting, even a white wine worked, but the Indian Chene 2014 by Grover Zampa took the trophy because it's just as rich, bold and full-bodied, and its smokiness lent by oak-aging process really adds to the bharta.

Mutton Seekh Kebab with a Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich in protein and high in spice, the seekh kebab found its compeer in the full-bodied, tannin-laced Cabernet Sauvignon because the wine's spicy complexity (resulting from being oak-aged) goes really well with the kebab's pungency. What interesting is that although this Napa Valley wine is not easy to drink – that very characteristic makes it more food compatible, compelling you to reach out for some grub.