US magazine Wine Enthusiast recommends pairing Albariño wines with Indian cuisine

The publication highlights the combination of the characteristic spiciness of Indian fare with the freshness of this Spanish white wine

08/31/2010

Wine Enthusiast highlights the excellent combination between Albariño and the typical flavours of Indian cuisine

Indian meets Albariño, an article published in the US trade magazine, Wine Enthusiast, recommends pairing Spanish white Albariño wines with Indian cuisine. Thanks to the open policy of many New York-based Indian restaurants, which allow customers to take their own alcohol, the magazine invites readers to get hold of a bottle of Albariño and enjoy the excellent combinations which unfold.

With the aim of putting this paring combination to the test, editors, Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen visited various New York-based Indian restaurants with a selection of Albariños. After their experience, the journalists highlighted the excellent harmony produced between these two, apparently unrelated, ways of understanding gastronomy. The exceptional paring began with the typical Indian starters, samosas, deep fried pastries filled with a variety of meat, vegetables and potatoes, whose combination with ‘Santiago Ruiz O Rosal 2009’ and ‘Pazo Señorans 2009’, gave rise to a clean, persistent pineapple finish.

One of the most well-know Indian dishes is Tandoori Chicken, which is usually marinated for hours or days in tandoori masala and baked in a traditional oven, which matched perfectly, according to the journalists, with ‘Laxas 2009’ and ‘Pazo San Mauro 2009’. The writers highlighted the harmonious combination produced between the spicy flavour of the Kashmiri red chilli and cayenne pepper powder of this typical Indian dish and the sweet fruit flavours of the Galician wines.

As regards the vegetarian dishes, Chana Saag, curried chickpeas and spinach, and Saag Paneer, a cheese and spinach casserole, both matched perfectly, according to Wine Enthusiast’s editors, with the creamy and caramelised flavours of ‘Tvronia 2007’ and the “delicious” ‘Zíos de Lusco’.

Pairing Albariño wines with Indian cuisine, which was highlighted for its exceptional harmony by Wine Enthusiast’s editors in their article, takes on special significance at a time when Spanish institutions are carrying out a comprehensive plan aimed at developing Spanish wine sales on the Indian market.