wine with curry?

[libellule]

Help! I am cooking a curry for French guests; I personally never drink wine with curry but they will expect wine. Which wine do you suggest?

Thank you

[Clair]

If it's a spicy (as in spices, not as in hot!) curry, try a Gewürztraminer.

if its' a mild curry, try a Riesling...

[libellule]

Thank you Clair and Puzzled, Gewurtz it will be.

[Chancer]

A good crisp Alsace gets my vote, a marriage made in heaven.

Shame I cant get a good curry to go with it!

[woolybananasbrother]

Surely with curry, as students, we used to drink a fine wine called Blue Nun? Is it not the best still?[6]

[plod]

I know about the Gewurz and curry argument but for me, expectation or not, no wine can compete with a curry. I congratulate you on persuading French people to eat the stuff though.

[Clair]

[quote user="plod"]I congratulate you on persuading French people to eat the stuff though.[/quote]

I was eating curry as a French child living in France long ago... The neighbours seemed happy to eat it too.

[cooperlola]

I think fizz is great with curry - but then to my mind it goes well with practically everything.  Hic. In the UK I used to get in someOmar Kayam, which is actually an Indian sparkling wine, to serve with curries but I somehow doubt if it's available here.

However, lager is really better than wine, imo, particularly if your guests aren't used to hot food, as it's more thirst quenching.

[lorna]

[quote user="cooperlola"]

However, lager is really better than wine, imo, particularly if your guests aren't used to hot food, as it's more thirst quenching.

[/quote]

That made me smile. I would just love to see their faces when they are presented with lager with their dinner. I expect they'd give it a go though.[:)]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="lorna"][quote user="cooperlola"]

However, lager is really better than wine, imo, particularly if your guests aren't used to hot food, as it's more thirst quenching.

[/quote]

That made me smile. I would just love to see their faces when they are presented with lager with their dinner. I expect they'd give it a go though.[:)]

[/quote]I think they would give it a go.   If the whole curry thing is an adventure anyway, then one should just treat the drink that goes with it in the same way, I reckon.

[powerdesal]

[quote user="cooperlola"][quote user="lorna"][quote user="cooperlola"]

However, lager is really better than wine, imo, particularly if your guests aren't used to hot food, as it's more thirst quenching.

[/quote]

That made me smile. I would just love to see their faces when they are presented with lager with their dinner. I expect they'd give it a go though.[:)]

[/quote]I think they would give it a go.   If the whole curry thing is an adventure anyway, then one should just treat the drink that goes with it in the same way, I reckon.[/quote]

Shouldn't that be chai then?

[cooperlola]

In theory yes, but to my mind most Brits make a particularly anglicised version of curry, with which lager is normally drunk.  Anyway, you'd have a job finding it here, Steve!

[Cat]

Or, perhaps a Moroccan wine might do the trick.  When we eat at the local cous-cous place, they have a variety of "robust" Moroccan wines available, that go rather well with hot and spicy Moroccan dishes. I can't see any reason why they wouldn't work equally well with a curry.

[Dick Smith]

A Sikh acquaintance recommends whisky.

I'd go for beer.

[mint]

Certainly, I had been given both whisky and even brandy to drink when I ate with Indians (not since coming to France, don't know any Indians here).

The phrase "stoking the fire" comes to mind.  The potency of the spirit is multiplied by a factor of at least 5, I reckon.

[cooperlola]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Certainly, I had been given both whisky and even brandy to drink when I ate with Indians (not since coming to France, don't know any Indians here).

The phrase "stoking the fire" comes to mind.  The potency of the spirit is multiplied by a factor of at least 5, I reckon.

[/quote]You're right, Sweets.  I don't think I'd try this if my guests had to drive home....

[newbiee]

 

It's very tricky to match wines with curries ... I don't think they are ever entirely successful, certainly none of my Indian friends ever drank wine with curry.  I think you'd be better off sourcing a decent beer.

Either way, hope they enjoy it [:D]

[Richard-R]

We serve Crement or Blanquette de Limoux (Brut) and often add a splash of creme de cassis or other liquore.

[libellule]

Thank you for all your postings, I found naan bread in Picard, the Riesling (from Nicolas) was perfect and the meal was a great success

[chessfou]

Oops, coming to this a bit late but anyway here is (probably) more than you wanted to know ...

Depends first and foremost on the type of "curry", are we talking Anglo-Bangladeshi, French, Indian ... ? French curries are invariably white meats or, at a pinch, lamb. Anyway, some ideas:

White: Alsace pinot gris, Alsace gewurztraminer and the medium-dry wines of Coteaux-du-layon and Jurançon.

Rosé: Tavel, Lirac, Bandol, Patrimonio

Red (very lightly chilled):  Lirac, Patrimonio, Alsace pinot noir.

Wine consumption in India is very much on the up (together with Russia and China, Indian consumers bear much of the responsibility for the absurd level of prices for top Bordeaux and Burgundy) despite what the Constitution of India says:

“the

State shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of the consumption -

except for medicinal purposes - of intoxicating drinks”.

Incidentally, wine has been  produced in India for the best part of 5000 years, was very popular (especially  Persian Shiraz) with the Moghul Emperors. Later (early-mid 19C) the British planted vineyards in Surat and Kashmir.  The current Indian wine industry is fairly small scale (only about 2,000 acres of wine-producing vineyards).

The sparkling Omar Khayyam (chadonnay based with some pinot noir and ugni blanc) is (or was)  available in the UK (I don't think I drank all of it before leaving). It is produced by Chateau Indage in Maharashtra - Deccan Plateau ca. 800 metres up. It is, I think, marketed in India under the name "Marquise De Pompadour" although I was never able to find any anywhere in India (even in Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra).

[powerdesal]

I have a Chateau Indage "Chantilli" shiraz in front of me at the moment, from the Sahyadri Valley. No idea what its going to be like, but previous Chateau Indage reds have been very passable.