Fiona Beckett on drinksWineReviewLots of white wines can handle a bit of spice, or how about a refreshing lassi or G&T instead?
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It’s harder to get someone to accept that lager is not the only thing to drink with a curry than it appears to be for the government to tell the truth about, well, almost anything, so if that’s you, please don’t read on. Honestly, don’t waste your time. You won’t agree.
But curry is not all about the classic, curry-house repertoire, and even the supermarkets have regionally based ranges these days. I’ve recently been cooking my way through Roopa Gulati’s excellent India, from the World Vegetarian series, and her dishes are quite unlike the stereotypes, lifted by fragrant fresh ginger and garlic, rather than the thwack of chilli heat. Meera Sodha’s Sri Lankan cucumber curry, which she describes as a “gentle, uncomplicated and soothing”, isn’t too much of a challenge, either. And surely it stands to reason that a fish curry doesn’t call for the same drink as rogan josh.
Lighter, summer curries, in particular, are more forgiving, because they mean you don’t have to go down the aromatic wine route if you don’t want to. Personally, I’ve never been that convinced by gewürztraminer with Indian food – you either like gewürz or you don’t – while you shouldn’t be bullied into drinking riesling if you don’t want to. Crisp whites, rosés and light, fruity reds - in other words, the kind of wines you probably already have in your rack at this time of year – will all rub along well with your curry. If you’re ramping up the heat, you may need a touch more sweetness, but the main thing is that the wine should be refreshingly cold.
The other drink I really like with summer curries is a lassi, a mango one especially. Unless you can find perfectly ripe mangoes (which is unlikely in a supermarket), cheat and make them with a tin of mango pulp (look in the world food aisle of major supermarkets and in specialist Indian food stores). Bristol-based Six O’Clock Distillery, meanwhile, recently brought out a limited-edition Mango, Ginger & Lime Gin (40%) in collaboration with Indian food writer Romy Gill, so you can enjoy mango G&Ts should you so wish (albeit at a somewhat indulgent £38).
And if you do insist on a lager (aha, you are still reading), why not try an English one? I’ve been really taken with the range from lager specialists Utopian in Honiton, Devon, which brews with 100% British ingredients. My own favourites are its British Pilsner (4.4%) and the unfiltered British Lager (4.7%), both of which are available at £12.50 for a 6 x 440ml can case, though for £24, you can also buy a 12-can one that includes the helles-style Premium Lager, too, to compare. Beats a Kingfisher any day.
Four summery wines to drink with a curry
Cramele Recas Sorcova Pinot Grigio
£5.84 (on offer, down from £7.99) Waitrose, 12%.
Don’t dismiss this Romanian white, that’s more pinot gris than pinot grigio: fractionally off-dry, but not too cloying or sickly, it could easily handle a bit of spice.
Laurent Miquel Viognier Vendanges Nocturnes 2019 Pays d’Oc
£6.99 (on offer, down from £9.39) Waitrose, 13%.
Viognier works really well with creamy curries, but it would also be great with Yotam’s buttery, peppery parmesan-braised chickpeas. Choose a young vintage, ideally, because viognier can get slightly oily as it ages.
Alphabetical Vin Ordinaire 2017
£12.50 Philglass & Swiggott, £12.95 Swig, 14%.
If you want to drink red with a curry (or spicy grilled chicken), it needs to be a bright, bouncy one such as this exuberant example from South Africa (not France, as you might think from the name). Chill it lightly first.
La Belle Angèle Rosé 2019
£8.99, or £7.49 on the mix-six deal, Majestic, 12.5%.
Drink this simple, swiggable rosé properly cold with Felicity Cloake’s Goan fish curry.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to matchingfoodandwine.com
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