Riesling, sparkling rosé and light, fruity reds such as Gamay are the classic wines for Indian food. Match the wine to the sauce: creamy curries like butter chicken and tikka masala take rosé or a medium-bodied red, while hot tomato curries like vindaloo need a cold wine with little tannin and modest alcohol.
Master Sommelier Matthieu Longuère teaches that the sauce and its seasoning decide the wine for a curry, whatever the meat, fish or vegetables in it. Wine Folly notes that cream makes a curry easier to pair with deeper red wines, while tomato-based and heavily spiced curries need lighter, fruitier ones.
Andrés Rangel, former sommelier at the London Indian restaurant Gymkhana, told Decanter that cardamom, ginger, pepper, clove and coriander also show up in the aromas of wine, which gives you flavors to match as well as heat to manage.
What in Indian food matters for wine
Chili heat
Vindaloo calls for a chilled, low-tannin red such as Gamay. A warm, strong red makes it hotter.
Cream and yogurt
Rich sauces need a wine with some body, such as a deep rosé or a Lambrusco.
Tomato and onion
Tomato masalas and jalfrezi suit still or sparkling rosé, which brings fruit without grip.
Ginger and turmeric
Alcohol makes both taste hotter, so reach for a lighter wine.
Indian food and wine by dish
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
| Indian dish | Wine | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Butter chicken (murgh makhani) | Sparkling rosé or Lambrusco | Wine Folly lists sparkling rosé and Lambrusco, a sparkling red, for cream curries; bubbles and acidity cut the rich sauce. |
| Chicken tikka masala | Deep rosé or Garnacha | The cream lets you pour a medium-bodied red, Wine Folly notes, and Garnacha is naturally low in tannin. |
| Korma | Deep rosé or Barbera | Korma's mild, creamy sauce makes room for red wine; Wine Folly includes Barbera and deep-colored rosé. |
| Vindaloo | Gamay or Pinot Noir, chilled | Vindaloo is hot, so pick a super fruity light red with little tannin, as Wine Folly advises for spiced curries. |
| Jalfrezi or other tomato masala | Still or sparkling rosé | Tomato and chili call for rosé or a fruity light red; tannin clashes with tomato and adds bitterness, per Longuère. |
| Saag or palak paneer | Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling | For green spinach sauces, Wine Folly suggests crisp whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and dry or sweet Riesling. |
| Tandoori chicken | Riesling, Gewürztraminer or ripe rosé | The Wine Society's food matcher finds the lime notes of ripe Riesling suit this yogurt-marinated, clay-oven chicken. |
| Samosas and pakoras | Sparkling wine | Rangel calls sparkling wine with a creamy mousse (the foam of the bubbles) a reliable choice with spicy food, and bubbles cut a fried crust. |
Why these wines work with Indian food
Chili heat comes from capsaicin, which triggers the receptor in your mouth that senses heat. A 2002 study in Nature Neuroscience found that ethanol makes this receptor respond more strongly to capsaicin. Longuère writes that alcohol raises the heat of red chili, ginger and turmeric, that tannin adds heat and bitterness, and that acidity and a little sugar soothe it.
Temperature matters too. In a 1990 UC Davis study, cold rinses cut chili burn more than rinses at room temperature, while a rinse with 5% alcohol did no better than water. Wine Folly's test of spicy food reached the same conclusion: serve the wine cold, keep the alcohol lower and allow some sweetness.
Cream and yogurt add body. Rangel says rich, fatty Indian dishes need wines with enough body to support them and ripe fruit to contrast with the spices, which is why a deep rosé or a medium-bodied red works with korma or butter chicken but not with vindaloo.
Wines to avoid with Indian food
Avoid tannic, high-alcohol reds with hot or tomato-based curries. They raise the burn, and their tannin turns bitter against onion and tomato.
Skip complex, delicate wines too. Wine Folly advises simple, well-defined flavors with complex Indian food, and Longuère warns that spice can drown out subtlety in a wine.
Natural wines to try with Indian food
How to serve wine with Indian food
- Serve sparkling rosé and Riesling ice cold, 38 to 45°F (3 to 7°C).
- Chill Gamay and Garnacha to 55 to 60°F (12 to 15°C), and go to the colder end for hot curries.
- Serve Lambrusco at 54 to 57°F (12 to 14°C).
- Open sparkling wine cold and slowly, since a warm bottle foams over. An all-purpose wine glass works for every bottle here.
Common questions about wine with Indian food
- What wine pairs well with Indian food?
- Riesling, sparkling rosé and light, fruity reds such as Gamay are the classic matches for Indian food. Serve them cold, and keep tannin and alcohol low for hot curries.
- What wine goes with butter chicken?
- Sparkling rosé, Lambrusco or a deep-colored rosé suits butter chicken. The cream sauce also lets you pour a medium-bodied red such as Garnacha or Barbera.
- What wine goes with chicken tikka masala?
- A deep rosé, a sparkling rosé or a medium-bodied, low-tannin red such as Garnacha goes with chicken tikka masala. Wine Folly notes the cream makes these dishes easier to pair with red wine.
- What wine goes with vindaloo?
- A chilled, super fruity light red such as Gamay or a cold rosé goes with vindaloo. Skip tannic, high-alcohol reds, since both raise the burn.
- Does red wine go with curry?
- Red wine goes with curry when it is light in tannin and alcohol, such as Gamay or Garnacha, and served cool. Creamy curries take a medium-bodied red more easily than hot tomato curries.
- Is sweet wine good with Indian food?
- A little sweetness helps with hot Indian dishes, since sugar coats the tongue and tones down chili heat. Longuère suggests an off-dry German Riesling such as a Kabinett, a light style with a little sugar.
Wine pairing guides for other foods
- Fish and seafood
- Salmon, Sushi, Oysters, Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp scampi, Crab
- Red meat
- Steak, Prime rib, Beef Wellington, Short ribs, Pot roast, Brisket, Lamb, Burgers, BBQ
- Pork and poultry
- Pork chops, Pork tenderloin, Holiday ham, Chicken, Thanksgiving turkey, Duck
- Pasta, risotto and pizza
- Pizza, Lasagna, Spaghetti, Pesto pasta, Carbonara, Mushroom risotto
- Cuisines
- Chinese food, Thai food, Korean food, Mexican food
- Cheese and charcuterie
- Cheese, Charcuterie
Sources
- Wine Folly: Pairing Wine with Indian Cuisine (Madeline Puckette)
- Decanter: Matching wine with curry (Matthieu Longuère MS)
- Decanter: What are the best wines for spicy food? (Julie Sheppard, with Andrés Rangel)
- The Wine Society: Pairing wine with tandoori chicken
- Wine Folly: Pairing Wine with Spicy Food (Madeline Puckette)
- Trevisani et al. 2002, Nature Neuroscience: ethanol potentiates the capsaicin receptor
- Nasrawi and Pangborn 1990, Physiology & Behavior: mouth-rinsing and capsaicin burn
- Wine Folly: wine serving temperature
- Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC production rules (2024)
- Icon drawn from a photo by stu_spivack (CC BY-SA 2.0), Wikimedia Commons
- Icon drawn from a photo by Softeis (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons
