Spice and wine

Food and beverage aficionados are now marrying Indian fare with sparkling wines 

When it comes to finding the perfect glass of wine to go with French, Italian or American cuisine, the options are endless. Finding the ideal match for the spicy food preferred mostly in this part of the world, however, is more complicated. Wine aficionados were also never quite satisfied with the wines available to accompany dishes in this part of the world where the food is much spicy; the former never managed to fully complement the rich flavours of the latter.

Sam Bhatia, a veteran of Continental Airlines, became frustrated with not having a good answer when asked what wines to pair with Indian cuisine. “As aficionados of Indian cuisine, we were never quite satisfied with the wines available to accompany our dishes,” says Bhatia.

Led by Frédéric-Jean Hoguet, wine expert and member of the prestigious Académie du vin de Paris, Bhatia and few of his friends started to find an answer to this question and after lot of research, they came up with Mirza Ghalib wines.

“Mirza Ghalib complements spicy and complex flavours in one of two ways: First, wine’s acidity boosts the layers of flavours in a dish while softening its extremes -- whether of body, richness, fattiness, or spiciness. Second, the wine’s fruitiness or sweetness tones down spicy heat, letting the dish’s other flavours shine,” says Bhatia, principal and founder of the Sufi Wine Company.

From the haven of wines

Served in 46 restaurants between New York and New Jersey, including some of the most highly awarded restaurants like Devi, Tulsi, Tamarind Tribeca and Junoon, it is manufactured in France's Pays D’Oc, one of the great wine regions of the country. Bhatia says the region's rich soil, fine climate and hilly terrain led them to choose this region.

 “The Pays d’Oc boasts a rich and natural combination of steep slopes, hilly peaks, vineyards, garrigue vegetation and the sea. Moreover, the territory is embraced by its Mediterranean climate that comfortably enfolds the vines with its dry and windswept soils,” adds Bhatia. They plan to launch the wine in India, Bangladesh and some other South Asian countries in 2015.

Food pairings

The Mirza Ghalib White is described as round, velvety, aromatic, and dry, with a final touch of vanilla and best accompanies fish dishes and lighter vegetarian delicacies such as tikkas, pakoras and samosas.

The Mirza Ghalib Red is described as well-balanced with velvety smooth tannins and main aromas of red mature fruits and spices. It best accompanies north/south Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine, such as lentils (dal makhani), curries (chicken tikka masala), assorted kebabs and biryanis, go for Mirza Ghalib Red. And the Mirza Ghalib Rose contains a fine aromatic expression of fruits and flowers and is best accompanied with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Indian food.