HOW-TO: Pair Wine with Spicy Food

I love spicy food. I always order the Lamb Vindaloos from our local Indian restaurant, I eat fresh hot peppers when they are in season, and Tina can tell what I am going to order at a restaurant by scoping out the hottest thing on the menu. Of course, this can make selecting wine a bit difficult. Areas of the world known for producing cuisine that is high in heat generally are not known for their wines, so there are not any natural pairings to fall back on. The oils of hot peppers coat the tongue, and can easily overwhelm other flavors--including your wine if you are not careful. Thankfully, I am not the only one to search for this elusive pairing.

Reds:
The danger with pairing a red with a hot dish is that the higher alcohol content can accentuate the heat, instead of cutting through and refreshing the palate. The trick with a red is to look for a sweeter, fruitier wine--like an Oregon Pinot Noir--to soothe the heat, or to select a spicier wine like Shiraz to compliment a spicy dish. In wine speak, this wine is often described as “peppery”--not “spicy”--just in case you plan to ask at your local wine shop.

Whites:
White wines are a little easier, probably because the first thing someone will tell you about Riesling is how well it goes with Asian dishes and spicy food. Same with Gewurztraminer. A rich, full-bodied Riesling with high residual sugar will coat the tongue with its unctuous flavors and cut through a hot dish. As will most whites high in sugar content and fruit flavors.

On a side note, while pairing wine is a focus around here, I would be remiss to not discuss beer. Nothing goes quite so well with hot Buffalo Wings than a nice cold beer. And in my experience, stout is your best option. The heavy beer holds its own against the spiciest pepper, and the tendency towards chocolate flavors is a natural pairing with hot peppers, creating a mole sauce right in your mouth.

While wine and food culture have evolved together in Old World cuisine, when it comes to Eastern flavors, and New World fusions of old classics, we need to experiment, and find what works. So don't be afraid to order a glass of wine to go with your stuffed poblanos: you'll be certain to find something that adds even more flavor to your favorite foods.