The best food pairings for Zinfandel

Like most wines made from red grapes Zinfandel comes in a number of styles from light and juicy to blockbuster ‘killer’ zins but they have a common thread of ripe brambly fruit and in most cases a richness that makes them a good match for red meat and other hearty dishes, especially those with a hit of smoked chilli.

(It’s also used to make an off-dry style of rosé called white zinfandel - check out my post on rosé for that.

Here are my favourite pairings which also apply to Zin’s brother from another mother primitivo which comes from Southern Italy (though I’d probably go more for the Italian dishes with that).

What goes with Zinfandel

Barbecue, especially American barbecue

If it’s charred, sweet or spicy, most zins will work so think back ribs, brisket, spicy sausages - anything smoked or treated to a sweet or spicy marinade or rub. Recipes like this Texas-style BBQ beef brisket.

Turkey, especially Thanksgiving turkey

As you will know Thanksgiving and Christmas is not so much about the bird as the stuffing and the sides and a good zinfandel can take them all in its stride as I discovered a couple of years ago

Braises and stews

If it’s big and beefy and cooked long and slow - it’s one for zin. Think shortribs and ox cheek, even Mexican mole

‘Dirty’ burgers

Y’know, the kind piled up with cheese, bacon, onions, pickles, whatever. Zin can cope

Meaty pasta sauces and pasta bakes

I’m thinking particularly spaghetti (or tagliatelle) and meatballs or a beef shin ragu. Or anything with sausage in the sauce like this recipe for rigatoni with aubergine, sausage and zinfandel sauce (which needs a new picture, yes I know!). And a classic lasagna, obviously. Basically meat sauces with cooked tomato,

Meat-topped pizzas.

Maybe go for a slightly lighter style with these as it’s as much about the crust and the cheese. A bright gluggable zinfandel or primitivo

Baked, roast or stuffed aubergine/eggplant

Loves zin especially with baked dishes like a parmigiana

Portobello mushrooms

A good veggie option for zin (especially baked with garlic butter)

Black beans

Black bean soup, black bean chillis - actually any chilli con - or sin - carne

Cheese, especially blue cheese

Delicate goat cheeses apart zin is a brilliant all-rounder for a cheeseboard, especially with stronger cheeses, smoked cheese and blues. I particularly like it with Gorgonzola

Picture credits: shortribs by Andrei Iakhniuk, tagliatelle and meatballs by Gaus Alex at shutterstock.com

Six drinks you might not have thought of pairing with Indian food

Asking what to drink with Indian food is a bit like asking what to drink with European food - it’s so incredibly varied - but there are pointers that should hopefully make the decision a bit easier.

3 Things to Consider When Pairing Drinks with Indian Food 

*First of all how hot the food is overall, bearing in mind that not all Indian food is super-spicy. There’s generally a difference between shop-bought dishes which are likely to be milder and ones you might have in a restaurant or make at home. Stands to reason the hotter the food the more cooling you want your drink (which is why lassi works)

*Secondly the basic ingredient, whether that’s meat, fish or veggies. Not as important as the seasoning and the spicing but it does have some effect. As with other type of cuisine think in terms of lighter, fresher drinks with fish and vegetable dishes and more full-flavoured ones with meat

*Thirdly, and not least important, your own preference. Whisky? Fine - no problem - just dilute it a bit more than you would normally. You don’t drink? There are plenty of alcohol-free options these days. I’ve highlighted some wonderful non-alcoholic drink pairings for Indian food below.

Wine, beer, and other drink pairings for Indian food

1. Beers that that are not lager

Although for many the automatic match for Indian food would be lager I find a beer with more flavour works better, particularly a well-hopped pale ale or IPA. But maybe I’m not being adventurous enough. Mark Dredge recommends a hefeweizen with jalfrezi and a brown ale or dunkel with a lamb korma in his book Beer and Food. And a pils is certainly good with snack food like samosas and bhajis - and with currywurst though I’m not sure that really counts.

2. Cider

Maybe you don’t associate cider with curry but try it. To my mind it goes best with a medium-dry cider - you need a touch of sweetness with most dishes but with milder fish and veggie curries it can be incredibly refreshing.

3. Wines that go surprisingly well with Indian food

Aromatic wines such as riesling, pinot gris and gewürztraminer are generally considered the ideal wines to pair with Indian food but they’re not the only game in town.

Sauvignon blanc

particularly with lighter, less heavily sauced dishes that are that include green chillies, garlic, ginger and coriander. See this recent match of the week of Indian veggie food and sauvignon blanc which highlighted how good it was with paneer with spinach

Chardonnay

Especially with dishes with a creamy or buttery sauce like butter chicken. (Here’s Vivek Singh’s recipe)

Red wine

Red wine wouldn’t be my automatic go to for Indian food but medium to full-bodied reds like malbec and rioja generally work with Indian meat dishes the same way they do from those from other culinary traditions especially lamb ones like rogan josh or marinated whole leg of lamb (raan). They can also work with Indian spiced game like this dish of tandoori-spiced grouse with a Tuscan-style Indian red.

Lighter reds such as Beaujolais and other gamays can also go surprisingly well with spicy vegetarian dishes as I discovered recently (scroll down for the reference).

Rosé

Rosé pairs remarkably well with a range of Indian dishes though I’d go for the deeper-coloured Spanish rosados, or fruitier pinot noir-based ones rather than the pale Provençal style (unless your curry is quite mild). Particularly good with chicken tikka masala

Sparkling wine - even champagne!

Not so much with curries but sparkling wines are great with Indian snacks like samosas, bhajis and pakoras. As they are with other crisp or deep-fried foods. If champagne seems a bit extravagant choose cava or crémant.

And if it’s particularly wine you’re looking to pair with curry here are my top 5 picks

4. Whisky (especially Indian whisky!)

A drink that’s well appreciated on the Indian sub-continent so maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it goes with Indian food. Two tips though - first of all you can - and should - dilute it, probably quite a bit more than you’re used to and secondly try the younger styles of whisky that are becoming popular including the Indian whiskies (there are 33 at the time of writing on the Whisky Exchange website). Younger English whiskies such as Cotswold Whisky’s single malt whisky would be good too.

See also Pairing Whisky with Indian Food

5. Cocktails

You might not think of pairing cocktails with Indian food but modern Indian restaurants often have a great cocktail list, and many Indian cookbooks suggest cocktails that are designed to go with their recipes like Dishoom’s delicious East India gimlet (gin and lime). Or make a gin and tonic with a twist like Gymkhana’s House pink gin and tonic.

6. Mango soda, kombucha and other new alcohol-free drinks

India, of course is a predominantly teetotal nation but there are so many great alcohol-free drinks now that it’s easier than ever to find a good match - at home, if not in a restaurant, where options are often quite limited. Mango is still my favourite flavour - the Manchester brewery Cloudwater does a delicious mango soda or make your own mango lassi with equal quantities of canned mango pulp and yoghurt or kefir (and a splash of water). Kombucha pairs well with lighter veggie curries too. And obviously alcohol-free beers and ciders do the same job as categories 1 and 2.

What sort of drinks do you enjoy with Indian food? Anything I haven’t covered here?

For more thinking on matching wine with Indian food read how to pair wine with an authentic Indian meal

Top photo by Natalia Lisovskaya, middle photo by Magdanatka, both at shutterstock.com

The best food pairings for Barolo and Barbaresco

The food of Piedmont in north-west Italy is as highly regarded as its wines so it makes sense to make the local dishes your first choice if you’re looking for a match for a bottle of Barolo or Barbaresco.

I’ve grouped the two wines together because although there are differences between them their similarities are greater and the same kind of food will work with both.

More significant is the age of the wine - older vintages with their ethereal flavours and silky texture need a little more respect so don’t overwhelm them with rich sauces.

* feathered game such as partridge, pheasant, wild duck and pigeon and other slightly gamey birds such as guineafowl and quail

* roast goose

* carne cruda - raw beef or veal prepared the Piedmontese way - or steak tartare. (Locals might well drink a Barbera or even a white such as Gavi or Favorita but Barolo and Barbaresco would be an equally good choice)

* grilled fillet steak

* braised beef in Barolo (brasato al Barolo) - better with younger wines

* delicately flavoured offal such as calves liver, kidneys and sweetbreads

* truffles. Although locally they tend to drink Barbera or Dolcetto with truffle dishes like fonduta and tajarin (egg noodles with butter and truffles), Barolo and Barbaresco work well with these dishes too - and any beef or veal dish with wild mushrooms or truffles

* risotto with porcini/ceps

* cheese. Not all cheeses - a powerful Castelmagno or Gorgonzola piccante would certainly knock the stuffing out of a delicate Barolo but milder cheeses such as robiolo, grana padano and ‘toma’-style cheeses are delicious. Wine-friendly goats’ and sheeps’ cheeses would also work well.

Note: You could also pair the same type of food with Langhe Nebbiolo which in the case of the best producers is similar to the quality of a Barolo or Barbaresco.

The best wine and beer pairings for steak pie

As with many other pairings the best match for steak pie depends how you cook it and whether the sauce includes beer, stock or wine

If it’s beer as in a steak and ale pie the obvious answer is beer - a robust bitter or brown ale I suggest although you could use a strong Belgian ale like Orval or Chimay and if you prefer wine I've drunk old Bandol with steak pie with great success.

Porter and stout are also good pairings for a pie with a dark meaty gravy, especially if the same beer has been used in the sauce. As in this match with steak and stilton pie.

If you use red wine to make the pie that generally makes wine the better pairing. Again no reason why you shouldn’t drink a similar wine to the one you’ve used in the pie - a Corbières, Faugères or other Languedoc red would fit the bill perfectly.

If mushrooms are a feature as in a steak and mushroom pie you could consider a robust style of pinot noir such as those from Central Otago.

If you use stock in the pie which will result in a lighter, less intense gravy you could go either way - a lighter bitter or a medium bodied red like a red Bordeaux or a rioja crianza would all hit the spot.

Some traditional steak pies also include ox kidney which again makes for a richer dish. Again I'd have a marginal preference for a strong beer here though a robust red like a Malbec would also work.

Image © MariaKovaleva at shutterstock.com