What wine goes with Indian food?
Off-dry Riesling
Grappi pairing score: how well the match works, on a 100-point scale. Grappi's own assessment.
The best wines for indian food
Off-dry Riesling
Off-dry white
A little residual sugar calms the chili heat while bright acidity lifts fragrant spices like cardamom, cumin and coriander.
Grenache
Medium red
Soft tannins and juicy red fruit handle lamb and tandoori without the clash you get from a tannic, oaky Cabernet.
Prosecco or Cava
Sparkling
Bubbles and fresh acidity cut through ghee and cream and reset the palate, which makes them ideal for samosas, pakoras and other fried starters.
Why it works
Indian food is defined by chili heat, aromatic spice and richness, so the usual fish-or-meat rules do not apply. Alcohol and tannin both make capsaicin burn hotter, which is why big, oaky or tannic wines backfire, while a little residual sugar calms the heat and fresh acidity cuts through ghee, cream and fried batter. That is why off-dry aromatic whites lead, with soft, low-tannin reds kept for meatier, milder dishes.
Grappi scores every pairing out of 100 against a reference of 185,000 wines. Indian food with Off-dry Riesling rates 94.
Serving tips
- The hotter the dish, the more residual sugar you want, so move from off-dry toward a sweeter Riesling for a fiery vindaloo.
- Serve aromatic whites well chilled at around 8C, since the cold tames chili heat as effectively as the wine's sweetness.
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