Raise A Glass: How a good wine can favour curry

KINGFISHER and Cobra do the job pretty well, but last week was National Curry Week, and a good excuse to find some more inventive drinks to help the korma go down and the jalfrezi to shine.

Chilli and spice have no qualms about murdering expensive wine, so a good starting tip is to keep it simple.

Preferably go for one with lots of fruit, a bit of sweetness doesn’t go amiss, and have an open mind!

The bold and assertive flavours of curry mean that any wine you choose has to have a robust personality of its own…not necessarily leading to a battle, but certainly having a feistiness that can keep the conversation going.

So how about a completely individual grape – Gewurtztraminer – with its unique ‘lychee’ sweetness and spice?

From New Zealand comes Seifried Estate Gewurtztraminer, (£9.99 at www.mollybrownswinelist.com) and it has alluring ripe apricot and squashy melon fruit, laced with ginger but with a balancing acidity that stops it from becoming cloying.

With coconut-based dishes it should prove a winner.

A cocktail of tropical fruits, Vinalba Torrontes 2009 (£7.99 at Sainsbury’s) is an aromatic, flowery white from Argentina whose crisp fresh peachiness would suit spicy prawns or fish.

Rose is often a good match for spicy food and Viña Leyda, Loica Vineyard Pinot Noir Rosado from Chile (£8.95 from The Wine Society www.thewinesociety.com) is easy-going and full, with sweet redcurrant and cherry flavours.

A rosé from Sancerre, in France, is a more serious proposition: Pinot Noir Rosé Laloue (£12.50 at The Wine Society) is a pale onion skin pink, with elegant red fruit.

And another, this time from Italy, Vigna Corvino Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Cerasuolo (£6.95 at The Wine Society), has plenty of attractive, aromatic, ripe strawberry fruit.

It’s a good idea to avoid tannic or oaky red wines with curry – they can be transformed into mean and sullen partners.

Overtly fruity, young reds are usually a better bet.

And that makes Chilean Merlot a good choice.

The juicy, thick, rich glossy fruit of Casillero del Diablo Merlot (widely available around £5.99 but down to £5 at ASDA from December 8-29) is ideal.

Fish Hoek Shiraz 2008 (£6.45 in Tesco, Waitrose and Somerfield) is also smooth and fruity, with a hint of spice and smoke.

Source: Birmingham Mail