The Real Secret Of Wine Pairings — When a Riesling Met an Indian Curry Dish

One night, not so long ago, I decided to make a curry dish. It would be piquant, it would be made with cream and fresh chili peppers, and it would include tofu, which I planned to sear in a pan until it was well browned. I’d garnish it with basil, basil grown on my balcony in West Los Angeles.

When I cook, I always think about the wine (or wines) I would like to drink with the dishes.

Pairings is a word one sees often in culinary milieus, and it’s used with alacrity for good reason. The wines I choose to serve my dinner guests are selected as companions to the food. They might accentuate a certain flavor element or ingredient. Or they could serve as a counterpoint to a dish. I love how a juicy, racy red wine tastes with a pepperoni pizza. And some of my best moments have been spent eating oysters while drinking chablis.

Conversely, how about halloumi and a big Gigondas? Or a sparkling rosé and beef short ribs? I have offered these two pairings at dinners, and when guests saw them on the menu they expressed disbelief at the former combination and incredulity at the latter (in the case of a gentleman who was in the habit of drinking nothing but heavy cabernet sauvignons with his beef).

In the end, once they put the food and wine in their mouths, they conceded that the pairings worked.

What should you take from all of this? First, the classic food and wine pairings are classics for a reason. Use them as part of your repertoire. Second, don’t be afraid to blur the lines, or surprise your dinner guests (and yourself).

Above all, taste. Often. Taste when cooking. Taste with intention when pairing food and wine.

Now back to that curry, and what I drank with it. It was an Eroica Riesling, 2024 vintage, an off-dry wine produced from a joint venture between Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle. It’s a low-alcohol (11 percent), vibrant, fresh and delicious riesling.

One that, as I was certain it would, paired well with the tofu curry, which I made by roasting red onions, garlic and ginger in sunflower oil. I made a spice mixture that included toasted and ground cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, red chili, fenugreek, cinnamon, coriander and several other components.

A highlight for my palate was the play between the wine and the touch of cinnamon in the dish.

The Eroica’s aromas — papaya, peach and other stone fruit and springtime grass — give way to a comforting minerality and notes of honey and cold-river stones. A medium body and whispering acidity complete the wine.

The fruit here comes from the Evergreen Vineyard, which is in the Ancient Lakes AVA and is a wonderful example of cool-climate growth. Grapes were harvested at night and went directly to press, and the wine was aged for 10 months in stainless steel.

The Eroica represents great value. It sports a suggested retails price of $22, but is often available for a bit less (buy it here). If you already know and love riesling, this one will not turn you off. And if you are new to the wines produced from this noble grape, give this wine a try.