While delicious, curry can be a bit intimidating – both when it comes to choosing recipes to cook at home, as well as pairing these dishes up with the perfect wines. Dishes carrying the “curry” moniker run the full gambit of flavours – from delicate and sweetly perfumed sauces, through to pungent and intensely spicy; from dishes featuring red meats like lamb or beef, through to more delicate proteins like fish, seafood, chicken and tofu.
1. Red Prawn & Mango Curry – RECIPE
Wine Match: Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
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2. Best Homemade Butter Chicken – RECIPE
Wine Match: Cline Family Cellars North Coast Viognier
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3. Lamb Vindaloo w/ Cucumber & Yogurt Salad – RECIPE
Wine Match: Bailly Lapierre NV Crémant de Bourgogne
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4. Thai Green Curry Beef – RECIPE
Wine Match: Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition Rosé
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Given this wide range of flavours and textures, it is clear to see that there is no single wine that will match perfectly with all recipes. With this in mind, there are a few general guidelines you’ll want to keep in mind when matching wines with curry.
- Avoid wines that have a high alcohol content.
- Avoid heavily oaked wines. Curry tends to create bitter astringency when paired with higher alcohol or heavily oaked wines.
- Look for fruity and aromatic wines that are off-dry to create a balanced pairing. Curries get along well with wines that have a touch of sweetness and great acidity. Even a small touch of sweetness goes a long way in neutralizing the heat in spicier dishes.
- RED. Consider a Beaujolais, Barbera, or another lighter-bodied red.