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One reason many shy away from pairing wine with spicy food is that it’s so, so easy to get it wrong. There are several constituent parts in a wine that unfavourably accentuate the heat of a dish: for example, spice can increase our perception of alcohol, causing an unpleasant burn, intense acidity and astringent bitterness. This stifles the fruit and smothers the complexities of the dish, too.
It’s not a gastronomic question that’s easily answered with a catchy maxim, either. Chilli heat fills the mouth in a different way from the sting of wasabi, say, which is itself different from Sichuan pepper and fresh ginger. But it can be done, should you wish to have a glass of wine with your spicy meal rather than a beer, fruity cocktail or lassi.
Henna Zinzuwadia is one sommelier who is not intimidated by heat. Currently head sommelier at Indian restaurant Pahli Hill in London, she has also paired wine for the pan-African chef’s table AYO Collective and for Indonesian supper club Spoons by Rahel Stephanie. “It’s less about ‘taming’ the cuisine and more about meeting it where it stands,” she says. “That is, respecting the spice, celebrating the complexity and letting the wine do its thing.” European wine pairing, by contrast, aims to cleanse the palate, “but spice won’t let you do that”.
“Fruit-forward reds are my secret weapon,” Zinzuwadia adds. “Their juicy, vibrant profiles complement smoky, charred flavours, and they’re an especially great match for Keralan fish curries, because the wine’s gentle tannins bind to the proteins perfectly.” She also recommends textured whites such as viognier and chenin blanc to take on aromatic dishes such as papadi chaat and light orange wines for ones that go big on green chilli or coriander.
Off-dry wines are another way to match heat, because that little extra sweetness can mitigate the harshness of the spice by coating the palate. Off-dry rosé, chenin blanc, gewürztraminer and riesling all work well, though grüner veltliner, which many say has a signature pepperiness that matches well, I tend to find too acidic and often bone-dry, so I tend to avoid it with spice unless, again, it’s made in an off-dry style.
Or you could do what Dom Fernando, owner of modern Sri Lankan restaurant Paradise, did, and make your own wine (although this is sadly a cost-effective pursuit only if you’re a restaurateur). “Traditionally, Sri Lankan food hasn’t been considered ‘wine-friendly’, but we strongly disagree,” he says. “Sri Lankan cuisine is a tapestry of influences – South Indian, Dutch, Arab, Portuguese, Malay and English – so the challenge lies in balancing the structure and texture of a wine with all those rich, bold flavours, especially since we eat everything together on one plate.”
Although experimental, it undeniably works. His riesling, made with Mosel winery Staffelter Hof, is all succulent pear and white flowers, and tempers the heat with a subtle sweetness that works in tandem with the fruit. With a glass of that alongside a bowl of kiri hodi, it’s easy to forget that beer exists.
Four bottles to try with fiery food
Percheron Chenin Blanc-Viognier 2024 £7.95 The Wine Society, 12.5%. Low in alcohol and rich in texture, this peachy wine was made for spicy food.
Tesco Finest Central Otago Pinot Noir £14, 13.5%. Cool, mountainous temperatures keep this fresh and light.
Radford Dale Thirst Cinsault 2023 £14.50 VINVM, 12%. A thirst-quencher, as the name suggests. Juicy, red fruit and spice.
Staffelter Hof Magnus Riesling £22.50 Modal Wines, 11%. If you can’t make it to Paradise, try this: a classically-styled pure riesling with stone fruit and zest.
