Takeout tastings: Your go-to guide for pairing wine and Indian
Chardonnay or Semillon pairs beautifully with a delicious, creamy butter chicken. Photo: Wine Selectors
We all have our favourite local Indian restaurant with its menu of must-have favourite dishes, but with its fantastic spices and countless variations, Indian cuisine can be a little difficult to match with wine.
Don’t simply opt for a cooling beer when things get a bit too spicy – get the most of out of your next Indian takeout order with this handy guide for pairing wine with some Australia’s best-loved Indian dishes!
AN EASY RULE OF THUMB
In general, when it comes to matching wine with Indian food, white drinkers are safe with a dry, savoury style like Riesling for its universal appeal, while Rosé is also another great multi-purpose option.
For the red drinkers out there, light to medium weight and savoury reds are a good choice, with Merlot working well with dishes that have a bit of heat.
SAAG PANEER (SPINACH WITH INDIAN CHEESE)
Light and aromatic whites work well with this vegetarian dish with its spinach base, cottage cheese and mild spices.
Pairing Wine with Saag Paneer
Matching wine styles: Light and aromatic or dry whites
Pair with: Sauvignon Blanc/SSB blends, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, or Arneis
FISH CURRY
Wonderfully fragrant and with an interesting texture, fish curry calls for white wines that are also aromatic and deliver lovely texture.
Pairing Wine with Fish Curry
Matching wine styles: Light and aromatic or dry whites
Pair with: Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer or Verdelho
BUTTER CHICKEN
Creamy, rich, full of flavour and with a delicious mix of spices, this popular dish calls for a medium weight white wine with good acidity.
Pairing Wine with Butter Chicken
Matching wine styles: Medium weight and textural whites
Pair with: Chardonnay, aged Riesling or Semillon
TANDOORI CHICKEN
Tandoori chicken is aromatic and quite smokey and often tastes almost beefy, so a light to medium weight and savoury red is the best red wine pairing. For white wine lovers, a good Riesling is also an option.
Pairing Wine with Tandoori Chicken
Matching wine styles: Light to medium weight and savoury reds
Pair with: Pinot Noir, Grenache/GSM blends, or Nero d’Avola
BEEF VINDALOO
Sitting at the higher end of the spice-o-meter, Vindaloo is a fiery and rich dish so avoid red wines with rich tannins as tannins will accentuate the heat.
Pairing Wine with Beef Vindaloo
Matching wine styles: Fruit driven medium weight reds
Pair with: Off-dry Rosé, Merlot and Barbera
Our final bit of advice when it comes to choosing which wines to match with Indian food? Avoid overly tannic reds such as Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo or Montepulciano – as mentioned above, their tannins will accentuate any chilli heat or bitterness within the dish, which you might find a bit overpowering!
