|
Sweet and spicy are a
natural pairing - this combo is part of
our innate taste DNA like
peanut butter and jelly or buffalo
wings and bleu
cheese. When you're trying to
decide what wine to serve with a spicy
dish, definitely keep this pairing in
mind. Whether it's Thai, Chinese,
Mexican or any dish you're making with a
good kick of heat, wines that have a
little hint of sweetness to them are
always a great bet.
What makes hot peppers hot is an alkaloid
called capsaicin. Capsaicin is insoluble in
water, which is why drinking water does NOT
relieve that burn, but although it is soluble
in alcohol, sugar is actually a better antidote
to ease the heat. A wine with a little residual
sugar will ease the hit of the peppers, thus
allowing the flavor of the wine to show through
against the spiciness rather than just get
lost in it.
In addition, the best
off-dry white wines will also show a
tasty spectrum of spicy flavors that will
play off the other spices in the dish,
and a strong backbone of acidity to stand
up well with bold cuisines. Riesling,
Gewurztraminer and blends with Muscat
Cannelli - both in sparkling wines
and still wines - are often made off-dry.
With sparkling wines, look for those that
are labelled "Dry" or "Extra Dry": these
are confusingly the slightly sweet
styles, "Brut" is the term for
the one that is totally dry.
Here are some of our
favorites:
Domaine Chandon
"Riche" Extra Dry, California
($22)
A blend with a touch of Muscat, this sparkling
wine shows the characteristic effusive
aroma. Very luscious and full for a
sparkler.
2006 Hugel
Gewurztraminer, Alsace ($25)
On the dry side for this variety, 'gewurz' is
German for spice and reflects the exotic spicy
flavors and aroma this classic wine
displays.
2008 Navarro
Edelzwicker, Mendocino ($13)
A small production, this can only be purchased
from the winery. Airy, fragrant and fun, the
winemaker describes this as "flowers in a
glass".
Next Article:
Bacon Explosion Wine
Pairing
>back to Wine Blog
Home
|
|
