Spicy food can be a problem for a lot of wine drinkers. We get a fairly regular supply of wine/food matching questions, one of the most common being:
“How do I pair wine with spicy food?”
It’s common to reach for the ice cold refreshing beer when tucking into a spicy curry, but we’re here to tell you wine lovers that this doesn’t have to be the way. There have been a number of common misconceptions around pairing wine with spicy food, but if you follow a couple of simple rules, you’ll be pairing wines like a pro in no time.
So why is it so difficult to pair wines with spicy food?
Simple, it’s not. Yes there are a number of flavours at play with most spicy cuisines, and a whole host of ingredients to think about. Choosing the wrong wine could overpower the dish and ruin both the food and the wine, but if you get it right… well, it enhances the whole experience.
Choosing the right wine will complement and provide a contrast at the same time. Whether that is in temperature, body, richness or sweetness, we have a wine for that.
When you’re tucking into a dish with plenty of heat, it’s now believed that alcohol enhances that heat. So if all you’re looking for is a burning mouth… go ahead and pair the highest alcohol wine you can find! However, if you’re looking to enjoy the layers of flavours designed so delicately by the balancing of ingredients, it’s wise to avoid high alcohol wines.
Pairing White Wine with Spicy Food
So right now we’re talking low alcohol wines. However there are hundreds of options there and you’re going to want to think about the flavour profiles. A crisp, cold refreshing white will offer the perfect contrast to the heat and richness of most spicy dishes. If you select something like a Riesling, that hint of sweetness will balance the heat and spice of the dish, enhancing the flavour.
If Riesling isn’t your thing, we’d highly recommend some other fruity aromatic whites like Gewürztraminer or Chenin Blanc, all of these wines will perfectly complement the sweeter, hot, sour sauces of most Asian cuisine, particular Thai.
Pairing Red Wine with Spicy Food
We understand that white wine isn’t for everyone, and if you’re taking a hard pass on the beer… you may want to tuck into a red instead. For us there are two simple runs to follow when pairing any red wine:
- Stay away from high alcohol, high tannin wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, unless you like your spicy dishes to be intense
- Opt for fruity, low alcohol, low to medium tannin wines like Barbera, Beaujolais or Carignan if you prefer a gentler pairing
You can also try a lovely fruit forward Pinot Noir. It’s typically low in alcohol and tannin and can handle medium spiced dishes. But I’d avoid pairing it with a blow-your-face-off curry, as that will be far too overpowering.
Why Should You Avoid High Tannin Wine?
We always suggest avoiding high tannin wines. Tannin adds a bitterness and astringency to a wine. If you’ve ever been drinking wine and all of a sudden you’ve felt dryness in your mouth, there is a high chance the vino you were drinking had high levels of tannin.
Tannins naturally occur during the winemaking process. They exist inside grape skins and seeds, and depending on how long the wine has been in contact with the grape skins will determine how tannic the wine is.
Unfortunately tannins and spice fight each other constantly, with the results being negative for both the dish and the drink.
