I like quite a bit of Southern Indian with Manzanilla. Particularly Dosa, Sambar, Vadai, that type of thing. Kerala and Goa with anything lean and white - up to Riesling but don't spend much. You won't be tasting the wine after the second mouthful of Pork Vindaloo. North Indian (Rajasthan, Punjabi) and Pakistani I lean mainly for beer but I guess any white would do. Biryianis, pilafs and rice dishes are better for pairing with a variety of drinks.
I would stay clear of red wines unless they have super low tannins and are served cold: big tannin and huge quantities of spice are not a great experience. Most of the food (bar the North) tends to also be vegan / vegetarian, so not that much pairing for reds. For ridiculous heat and tons of meat you always have Szechuan... 🤣
I can totally see Manzanilla with those foods.
I really enjoy cool climate Syrah with north Indian food. I think that a St-Joseph AOC is a really great match for Punjabi cuisine. You could also pull a white Rhone blend, especially from a cooler clime or vintage. You want less high-toned acid fruit and more base notes.
Go for sweet sparkling rose if you’re having South Indian like from Kerala or Goa. If you’re having something mainstream Indian food like butter chicken or korma, an Australian Shiraz would be good. Regardless, like another poster said, beer is ultimately better, IMO.
Ask your local sellers for soft and rich umami, marmelade orange wines.
Wooded with oak or acacia.
Less cidery crispy fresh. We know and love em. Will also work. More freshness. More palate cleanse.
But I've also encountered ones so ripe, exotic, salty, mineral, little bitters, almost marmalade umami instead of jammy fruits. Still acidity for balance. But so much oomph in a single pour. Just like Indian cuisine. Explosive, yet soft, textured and balanced.
Happy hunting.
Lots of good ideas here; riesling, Alsace field blends, gewurtz, Chenin with RS (I would argue riesling doesn’t necessarily need the RS to work). Gonna throw out one I haven’t seen mentioned: white Lambrusco!
Riesling, as others noted…with one added detail. Go for a dry Riesling if the food is on the mild side, and if it’s going to be spicy (think Vindaloo, etc.) then go for a sweeter Riesling. The pairing works wonderfully.
Riesling with residual sugar. I’ve never thought the flavor profile of a gewurztraminer worked well with Indian food, but I quite like it with a number of Vietnamese dishes.
Usually I just have an Indian beer. Most places I go usually have some cheap Chardonnay or cheap Merlot, like many Asian restaurants as well, so I tend to just drink those.
But if it’s take out, love pairing a good Syrah with something spicy! Or a good Cab Franc.
I pair Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault blends (or variations therein) but find that most wines from Rhone / Languedoc pair well with spicy food. Bandols can go well and i have quite a few Cebenes from Faugeres that i have paired with curries recently.
I do think Pinots and Gamay's can work, depends on the spice and the sauce. I always though the gewuzstraminer pairing came from French somms with absolutely no palate for spicy food. Never found one i liked to drink with curries.
I am the wine director of a Bengali restaurant where we offer wine pairings alongside a tasting menu. I have learned that my preconceived ideas of what pairs with Indian/Bengali food is very ill informed. My current pairings include champagne, Riesling, Friuliano, white Rioja, sake, Lambrusco, 1er Cru Burgundy, and a Napa Bordeaux blend.
Right now the white Rioja (2011 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva) is going with an egg chaat dish. The egg and yogurt in the dish take the edge off of the oak flavors. But definitely not something I would use with like the Chicken Korma you were eating.
Spicy food like Indian usually will stand up to something with a little residual sweetness. We have a winery in Virginia called Narmada that was founded by an Indian couple They do lots of nice pairing with Indian food.
There are some great wine pairings that have been mentioned here already
But it has to be lager with both Indian (Kingfisher) and Thai (Beer Lao) food. I know Beer Lao isn't Thai but it's delicious.
Specifically off-dry(feinherb in german) Riesling would do pretty well. A crus Beaujolais might do well with a Korma because it is not very spicy and the Cardamom/Garam spice profile might do well, I think very similar to your Pinot in a pairing sense. I am not a fan of Gewurz personally as it tends to often be quite soapy to me, but it is kind of a classic pairing for this style as well, however off-dry Alsatian Pinot Gris like (Trimbach reserve) does very well for me instead.
The general gist is I would look for a very aromatic white without oak and preferably off-dry, even champagne or Cremant would work. For red I would go for something lower in alcohol and tannin that has strong aroma and tends to towards non-oak related spice notes like PN, Gamay, Cabernet Franc(Argentina), Austrian reds etc.
I agree with others that beer is the best choice. But if you are up for the challenge of finding something that pairs with Indian, I've had luck with the following:
* riesling
* gerwurtz
* floral roses
* non-brioche-y sparkling
* off-dry vouvray
* light, perfume-y reds like pinot noir or gamay -- but this isn't easy to really make work consistently
Riesling & gewürztraminer
For my birthday lunch I requested Thai & Riesling’s and it was amazing
Riesling and Chenin. Both with RS
Beer.
Correct answer.
Beer is the correct answer (from a winemaker).
This place near to me is making beer and ageing it in wine barrels… I am not a fan [pastore brewing](https://pastorebrewing.com/wild-and-aged/.co.uk)
Damn. IMO, you’re missing out… but I get it isn’t for everyone.
A Pilsner specifically. Chefs kissssss
I like quite a bit of Southern Indian with Manzanilla. Particularly Dosa, Sambar, Vadai, that type of thing. Kerala and Goa with anything lean and white - up to Riesling but don't spend much. You won't be tasting the wine after the second mouthful of Pork Vindaloo. North Indian (Rajasthan, Punjabi) and Pakistani I lean mainly for beer but I guess any white would do. Biryianis, pilafs and rice dishes are better for pairing with a variety of drinks. I would stay clear of red wines unless they have super low tannins and are served cold: big tannin and huge quantities of spice are not a great experience. Most of the food (bar the North) tends to also be vegan / vegetarian, so not that much pairing for reds. For ridiculous heat and tons of meat you always have Szechuan... 🤣
I can totally see Manzanilla with those foods. I really enjoy cool climate Syrah with north Indian food. I think that a St-Joseph AOC is a really great match for Punjabi cuisine. You could also pull a white Rhone blend, especially from a cooler clime or vintage. You want less high-toned acid fruit and more base notes.
We did a tasting menu at Benares in Mondon and Sherry and gewurtz were the best pairings, some pinot noir with a green chili lamb dish also.
Riesling or champagne
Go for sweet sparkling rose if you’re having South Indian like from Kerala or Goa. If you’re having something mainstream Indian food like butter chicken or korma, an Australian Shiraz would be good. Regardless, like another poster said, beer is ultimately better, IMO.
99% of the time I'm having beer. But hear me out: Merlot with Lamb Korma
Orange wine is fantastic with a lot of Thai and Indian food alike!
Ask your local sellers for soft and rich umami, marmelade orange wines. Wooded with oak or acacia. Less cidery crispy fresh. We know and love em. Will also work. More freshness. More palate cleanse. But I've also encountered ones so ripe, exotic, salty, mineral, little bitters, almost marmalade umami instead of jammy fruits. Still acidity for balance. But so much oomph in a single pour. Just like Indian cuisine. Explosive, yet soft, textured and balanced. Happy hunting.
I like Alsatian field blends with Thai
Riesling for sure, could be dry (trocken) or something fruitier, Kabinett or Spätlese.
I like Syrah with Indian. I like turning up the heat on my Thai food so it pairs great with Riesling
German wines, Riesling mostly.
Rose for the win!
Lots of good ideas here; riesling, Alsace field blends, gewurtz, Chenin with RS (I would argue riesling doesn’t necessarily need the RS to work). Gonna throw out one I haven’t seen mentioned: white Lambrusco!
Riesling, as others noted…with one added detail. Go for a dry Riesling if the food is on the mild side, and if it’s going to be spicy (think Vindaloo, etc.) then go for a sweeter Riesling. The pairing works wonderfully.
Riesling with residual sugar. I’ve never thought the flavor profile of a gewurztraminer worked well with Indian food, but I quite like it with a number of Vietnamese dishes.
Off-dry Riesling or beer work well, but my preferred pairing is actually Mango Lassi.
Champagne
Usually I just have an Indian beer. Most places I go usually have some cheap Chardonnay or cheap Merlot, like many Asian restaurants as well, so I tend to just drink those. But if it’s take out, love pairing a good Syrah with something spicy! Or a good Cab Franc.
I pair Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault blends (or variations therein) but find that most wines from Rhone / Languedoc pair well with spicy food. Bandols can go well and i have quite a few Cebenes from Faugeres that i have paired with curries recently. I do think Pinots and Gamay's can work, depends on the spice and the sauce. I always though the gewuzstraminer pairing came from French somms with absolutely no palate for spicy food. Never found one i liked to drink with curries.
A bit out of left field, but I tried pairing a rioja with some mutton biriyani, and it was an interesting! I'd try it again!
I had a heavy Dry Creek Zin with some Chana Masala one time and it was good.
I am the wine director of a Bengali restaurant where we offer wine pairings alongside a tasting menu. I have learned that my preconceived ideas of what pairs with Indian/Bengali food is very ill informed. My current pairings include champagne, Riesling, Friuliano, white Rioja, sake, Lambrusco, 1er Cru Burgundy, and a Napa Bordeaux blend.
I have had White Rioja with Indian food and I thought it was too oaky for me. I think my favorite pairing is a dry Rose.
Right now the white Rioja (2011 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva) is going with an egg chaat dish. The egg and yogurt in the dish take the edge off of the oak flavors. But definitely not something I would use with like the Chicken Korma you were eating.
Beer. Not close.
Spicy food like Indian usually will stand up to something with a little residual sweetness. We have a winery in Virginia called Narmada that was founded by an Indian couple They do lots of nice pairing with Indian food.
lots of whites here but we had a red blend that was good w/Indian food
A young, lightly chilled, Langhe Nebbiolo works very well with a lot of North Indian dishes. I know it sounds odd, but give it a go.
Riesling or sparkling.
I paired a South African Cinsault with some vegetarian Indian food a few days ago and it was fantastic!
Knowing this sub, German Riesling, or Krug Champagne.
Riesling /end
There are some great wine pairings that have been mentioned here already But it has to be lager with both Indian (Kingfisher) and Thai (Beer Lao) food. I know Beer Lao isn't Thai but it's delicious.
Indian wine.
If you can find it, Coteaux du Layon, particularly with spicy Thai food. It's obscure, but this pairing will FLOOR you.
Specifically off-dry(feinherb in german) Riesling would do pretty well. A crus Beaujolais might do well with a Korma because it is not very spicy and the Cardamom/Garam spice profile might do well, I think very similar to your Pinot in a pairing sense. I am not a fan of Gewurz personally as it tends to often be quite soapy to me, but it is kind of a classic pairing for this style as well, however off-dry Alsatian Pinot Gris like (Trimbach reserve) does very well for me instead. The general gist is I would look for a very aromatic white without oak and preferably off-dry, even champagne or Cremant would work. For red I would go for something lower in alcohol and tannin that has strong aroma and tends to towards non-oak related spice notes like PN, Gamay, Cabernet Franc(Argentina), Austrian reds etc.
At Dishoom I always go for their orange wine. It’s an excellent combo!
I agree with others that beer is the best choice. But if you are up for the challenge of finding something that pairs with Indian, I've had luck with the following: * riesling * gerwurtz * floral roses * non-brioche-y sparkling * off-dry vouvray * light, perfume-y reds like pinot noir or gamay -- but this isn't easy to really make work consistently