s/o wines for Indian food

[Anonymous]

Not a wine drinker but my coworkers are. I will be hosting a party for about 20 adults- mostly in their 30s and mostly non-Indians. I know Rieslings and Shiraz is often recommended but can some wine drinkers weigh in on what you would like to drink at such a party. Shd I serve beer too?

[Anonymous]

Albarino or gewurtztraminer, or gruner veltliner.

[Anonymous]

Beer is better than wine for spicy food.

[Anonymous]

Pinot Gris, Prosecco, champagne, Rose.

For beer, Kingfisher.

[Anonymous]

No wine. Beer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Albarino or gewurtztraminer, or gruner veltliner.

OP here. Can you help with brand names, please. I have never heard of these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Albarino or gewurtztraminer, or gruner veltliner.

OP here. Can you help with brand names, please. I have never heard of these.

OP here: the gurner veltliner sounds amazing from what I am reading online. Forget the party, I want to try some myself. What do you recommend?

[Anonymous]

The general advice is Rieslings and Gewurztraminers. If your budget is about $10, the ones from Hogue or Chateau St. Michelle are a good entry point. For a couple of dollars more, you can do better getting them from Alsace. Willm, Hugel, and Trimbach are widely available brands at that price point. If you can spend $20/bottle, Dr. Loosen is a good name to know in Riesling. His German rieslings start at $20 and go up; Eroica, a Loosen joint venture in Washington, sells for about $20.
(BTW, one tip when scanning unfamiliar bottles is to look at the bottle shape. These German-style wines come in tall, skinny bottles. If the bottle is fat at the bottom or has "shoulders," the wine is not in this family.)

I like a different white with spicy food: Pine Ridge chenin blanc/viognier. It's fresh and refreshing, goes with spicy (goes with everything, really), and you can find it on sale for about $11-12 (retail $14-15). You could also go with a straight chenin blanc--Ken Forrester from South Africa is a good one (also in the $10-12 range), or get one from California. Do not get one from France, it will be too austere for the spicy food.

For red, try Mark West pinot noir ($14-16, but you can find it on sale for $12 sometimes). I find that a heavier red like Shiraz kind of fights with the heavier sauces and spices. A lighter and silkier but still acidic wine cuts through it a bit, and since it's both lighter-bodied and lower in alcohol, you can drink more of it.

The PPs are correct that beer is also an excellent choice with Indian food, but that doesn't mean you can't have wine for wine drinkers. On the beer side, go with a basic lager (or, second choice, pilsner). Kingfisher is the most popular beer in India. Devils Backbone Vienna Lager would be a good local craft choice.

Despite its name, India Pale Ale doesn't go very well--too many spicy flavors clashing, and it's not as crisp to cut through the spice as a blonde beer. With Indian food I'd rather have a Budweiser or even an American light beer than the best Dogfish or Lagunitas IPA.

[Anonymous]

I would not really serve wine with dinner if I am serving Indian food.

I would stick to offering beer (Kingfisher for authenticity) and something like a spicy Tamarind Margarita with Indian appetizers, before dinner.

[Anonymous]

Vinho verde might also be interesting. Light-bodied, hint of sweet, hint of sparkling--it would be the right thing, similar in texture to the beer, to cut through that food. And it would certainly be affordable. But also probably unfamiliar to most guests. Maybe just have a bottle or two on hand among the other options, if there are some wine types who are interested. Might turn out to be great. But you wouldn't want to get stuck with a lot of it untouched, or have people's only choice be something unfamiliar.

[Anonymous]

Indian here and I like Rieslings with my spicy food. You can't go wrong with Chateau Ste. Michelle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indian here and I like Rieslings with my spicy food. You can't go wrong with Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Or Hogue.

[Anonymous]

Beer with Indian food ..... wine is not served with Indian food even in the better restaurants in India.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The general advice is Rieslings and Gewurztraminers. If your budget is about $10, the ones from Hogue or Chateau St. Michelle are a good entry point. For a couple of dollars more, you can do better getting them from Alsace. Willm, Hugel, and Trimbach are widely available brands at that price point. If you can spend $20/bottle, Dr. Loosen is a good name to know in Riesling. His German rieslings start at $20 and go up; Eroica, a Loosen joint venture in Washington, sells for about $20.
(BTW, one tip when scanning unfamiliar bottles is to look at the bottle shape. These German-style wines come in tall, skinny bottles. If the bottle is fat at the bottom or has "shoulders," the wine is not in this family.)

I like a different white with spicy food: Pine Ridge chenin blanc/viognier. It's fresh and refreshing, goes with spicy (goes with everything, really), and you can find it on sale for about $11-12 (retail $14-15). You could also go with a straight chenin blanc--Ken Forrester from South Africa is a good one (also in the $10-12 range), or get one from California. Do not get one from France, it will be too austere for the spicy food.

For red, try Mark West pinot noir ($14-16, but you can find it on sale for $12 sometimes). I find that a heavier red like Shiraz kind of fights with the heavier sauces and spices. A lighter and silkier but still acidic wine cuts through it a bit, and since it's both lighter-bodied and lower in alcohol, you can drink more of it.

The PPs are correct that beer is also an excellent choice with Indian food, but that doesn't mean you can't have wine for wine drinkers. On the beer side, go with a basic lager (or, second choice, pilsner). Kingfisher is the most popular beer in India. Devils Backbone Vienna Lager would be a good local craft choice.

Despite its name, India Pale Ale doesn't go very well--too many spicy flavors clashing, and it's not as crisp to cut through the spice as a blonde beer. With Indian food I'd rather have a Budweiser or even an American light beer than the best Dogfish or Lagunitas IPA.

Just want to agree on the Loosen Reisling BUT there is Dr Loosen which is $20 ish a bottle and Loosen Bros which is $10 a bottle but very, very good.

I like a Sauvignon blanc with spicy food. Try anything from the Marlborough region- not california.

[Anonymous]

You could look at the Rasika Restaurant's wine list for suggestions. A lot of the previous suggestions make their list.