Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
weekend with friends?
Please bear this in mind first.
Male 1 prefers white wine
Female 1 prefers red wine
Male 2 prefers lager
Female 2 prefers white wine
All of above will drink any of above.

The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
Italian style dish.
The main is a full bodied curry.
What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
please.
Thanks
Jonny

"Jonny" > wrote in message
...
> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> weekend with friends?
> Please bear this in mind first.
> Male 1 prefers white wine
> Female 1 prefers red wine
> Male 2 prefers lager
> Female 2 prefers white wine
> All of above will drink any of above.
>
> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.
> The main is a full bodied curry.
> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
> please.
> Thanks
> Jonny

Try this link, it goes to the TESCO site which matches styles of wine with
various types of food. Good luck!

http://www.tesco.com/winestore/fooda...dandwineA1.htm

"Jonny" > skrev i melding
...
> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
>
> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.
> The main is a full bodied curry.
Hi
The curry calls for a sweetish white. Common wisdom is that tomatoes don't
enhance wines, unless the preparation deacidifies them (I don't find that a
problem myself, however). A creamy sauce with the pasta sounds fine to me
with a white wine.
A Semillon could be nice, well chilled. Or a German Riesling of Kabinett
type from a Rhine area, if you can find one.
Anders

In uk.food+drink.indian Anders T?rneskog > wrote:
>
> "Jonny" > skrev i melding
> ...
>> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
>>
>> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
>> Italian style dish.
>> The main is a full bodied curry.
> Hi
> The curry calls for a sweetish white.

I'd agree, I've found Gewurztraminer to be the best wine accompaniment to
most Asian food - although it's not a type of wine I like much otherwise!

I usually prefer beer to wine with Asian food though, a good well-chilled
pilsener, a well-hopped pale ale or even a wheatbeer all work well with
curries.

pete
--
"there's no room for enigmas in built-up areas"

I'd go with a fruity Pinot Grigio.
The light dry style will stay out of the way of the cream sauce and the
fruitiness will work with the curry.

"Jonny" > wrote in message
...
> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> weekend with friends?
> Please bear this in mind first.
> Male 1 prefers white wine
> Female 1 prefers red wine
> Male 2 prefers lager
> Female 2 prefers white wine
> All of above will drink any of above.
>
> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.
> The main is a full bodied curry.
> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
> please.
> Thanks
> Jonny

In news:73HEc.7915$IQ4.5984@attbi_s02,
Jeff Russell > typed:

> I'd go with a fruity Pinot Grigio.
> The light dry style will stay out of the way of the cream sauce
and
> the fruitiness will work with the curry.


If it were me, especially with four people, I wouldn't try to
match a single wine to both dishes, but have at least two.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup


>
> "Jonny" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are
having
>> this weekend with friends?
>> Please bear this in mind first.
>> Male 1 prefers white wine
>> Female 1 prefers red wine
>> Male 2 prefers lager
>> Female 2 prefers white wine
>> All of above will drink any of above.
>>
>> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to
be an
>> Italian style dish.
>> The main is a full bodied curry.
>> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that
may suit
>> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than
specific
>> brands please.
>> Thanks
>> Jonny

> > "Jonny" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are
> having
> >> this weekend with friends?
> >> Please bear this in mind first.
> >> Male 1 prefers white wine
> >> Female 1 prefers red wine
> >> Male 2 prefers lager
> >> Female 2 prefers white wine
> >> All of above will drink any of above.
> >>
> >> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to
> be an
> >> Italian style dish.
> >> The main is a full bodied curry.
> >> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that
> may suit
> >> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than
> specific
> >> brands please.
> >> Thanks
> >> Jonny

"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> In news:73HEc.7915$IQ4.5984@attbi_s02,
> Jeff Russell > typed:
>
> > I'd go with a fruity Pinot Grigio.
> > The light dry style will stay out of the way of the cream sauce
> and
> > the fruitiness will work with the curry.
>
>
> If it were me, especially with four people, I wouldn't try to
> match a single wine to both dishes, but have at least two.
>
> --
> Ken Blake
> Please reply to the newsgroup
>

I'd agree. The Pinot Grigio sounds fine for the starter, and would also do
for those who want to stay with white wine for the curry. If you'd like a
second choice for the main course, I'd suggest a hearty Australian Shiraz or
Washington State (US) Syrah. But I'd probably opt for a good lager - Pilsner
Urquell if available.

Cheers,
Rowan

"Jonny" > wrote in message
...
> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> weekend with friends?
> Please bear this in mind first.
> Male 1 prefers white wine
> Female 1 prefers red wine
> Male 2 prefers lager
> Female 2 prefers white wine
> All of above will drink any of above.
>
> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.
> The main is a full bodied curry.
> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
> please.

Madhur Jaffrey suggests Chablis and Pinot Grigio, an Australian Merlot or
mid priced Bordeaux.
If you can be more specific about 'the curry' we could be more specific
about the wine, but it sounds as though your 'curry' is non-specific. What
are you going to bung in it?
I would start with a dryish sparkling white and for the full bodied curry an
American Cabernet or Shiraz. A cold ruby port would also go. If the curry
has coconut and tomatoes, maybe a red Bordeaux or spicy Gewurztraminer, even
a cold Madeira or Oloroso sherry.
cheers
Wazza

"Bryan Wallwork" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Jonny" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> > weekend with friends?
> > Please bear this in mind first.
> > Male 1 prefers white wine
> > Female 1 prefers red wine
> > Male 2 prefers lager
> > Female 2 prefers white wine
> > All of above will drink any of above.
> >
> > The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> > Italian style dish.
> > The main is a full bodied curry.
> > What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> > the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
> > please.
>
> Madhur Jaffrey suggests Chablis and Pinot Grigio, an Australian Merlot or
> mid priced Bordeaux.
> If you can be more specific about 'the curry' we could be more specific
> about the wine, but it sounds as though your 'curry' is non-specific. What
> are you going to bung in it?
> I would start with a dryish sparkling white and for the full bodied curry
an
> American Cabernet or Shiraz. A cold ruby port would also go. If the curry
> has coconut and tomatoes, maybe a red Bordeaux or spicy Gewurztraminer,
even
> a cold Madeira or Oloroso sherry.
> cheers
> Wazza
>
>

Good points Bryan.
If the curry is a heavy one such as lamb, I would like to suggest an
California Zinfandel perhaps Ridge or Ravenswood. American Zins can be soft
in the mouth like a Merlot with a spicy or peppery finish.

Jeff

"Jeff Russell" > wrote in message
news:_b_Ec.9072$MB3.8063@attbi_s04...
>
> "Bryan Wallwork" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Jonny" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> > > weekend with friends?
> > > Please bear this in mind first.
> > > Male 1 prefers white wine
> > > Female 1 prefers red wine
> > > Male 2 prefers lager
> > > Female 2 prefers white wine
> > > All of above will drink any of above.
> > >
> > > The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> > > Italian style dish.
> > > The main is a full bodied curry.
> > > What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> > > the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands
> > > please.
> >
> > Madhur Jaffrey suggests Chablis and Pinot Grigio, an Australian Merlot
or
> > mid priced Bordeaux.
> > If you can be more specific about 'the curry' we could be more specific
> > about the wine, but it sounds as though your 'curry' is non-specific.
What
> > are you going to bung in it?
> > I would start with a dryish sparkling white and for the full bodied
curry
> an
> > American Cabernet or Shiraz. A cold ruby port would also go. If the
curry
> > has coconut and tomatoes, maybe a red Bordeaux or spicy Gewurztraminer,
> even
> > a cold Madeira or Oloroso sherry.
> > cheers
> > Wazza
> >
> >
>
> Good points Bryan.
> If the curry is a heavy one such as lamb, I would like to suggest an
> California Zinfandel perhaps Ridge or Ravenswood. American Zins can be
soft
> in the mouth like a Merlot with a spicy or peppery finish.
>
> Jeff
>
interesting how you interpreted 'heavy', I thought heavy on the spices
and/or chilli!
I had not thought of lamb as heavy, they bounce off things rather well round
here ;?) nearly got two of the woolly maggots today, spring lamb
anyone......!
cheers
Wazza

I was focused on the type of meat when defining it as heavy.

"Bryan Wallwork" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Jeff Russell" > wrote in message
> news:_b_Ec.9072$MB3.8063@attbi_s04...
> >
> > "Bryan Wallwork" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > >
> > > "Jonny" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having
this
> > > > weekend with friends?
> > > > Please bear this in mind first.
> > > > Male 1 prefers white wine
> > > > Female 1 prefers red wine
> > > > Male 2 prefers lager
> > > > Female 2 prefers white wine
> > > > All of above will drink any of above.
> > > >
> > > > The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> > > > Italian style dish.
> > > > The main is a full bodied curry.
> > > > What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may
suit
> > > > the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific
brands
> > > > please.
> > >
> > > Madhur Jaffrey suggests Chablis and Pinot Grigio, an Australian Merlot
> or
> > > mid priced Bordeaux.
> > > If you can be more specific about 'the curry' we could be more
specific
> > > about the wine, but it sounds as though your 'curry' is non-specific.
> What
> > > are you going to bung in it?
> > > I would start with a dryish sparkling white and for the full bodied
> curry
> > an
> > > American Cabernet or Shiraz. A cold ruby port would also go. If the
> curry
> > > has coconut and tomatoes, maybe a red Bordeaux or spicy
Gewurztraminer,
> > even
> > > a cold Madeira or Oloroso sherry.
> > > cheers
> > > Wazza
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Good points Bryan.
> > If the curry is a heavy one such as lamb, I would like to suggest an
> > California Zinfandel perhaps Ridge or Ravenswood. American Zins can be
> soft
> > in the mouth like a Merlot with a spicy or peppery finish.
> >
> > Jeff
> >
> interesting how you interpreted 'heavy', I thought heavy on the spices
> and/or chilli!
> I had not thought of lamb as heavy, they bounce off things rather well
round
> here ;?) nearly got two of the woolly maggots today, spring lamb
> anyone......!
> cheers
> Wazza
>
>
>

Hi there,


Jonny wrote:

> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.
> The main is a full bodied curry.
> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> the two very different courses.

I'd go for something light, fruity crisp and dry. I found that no wine
can compete with the flavours of a "full bodied" curry, so I usually
keep things on the cool and refreshing side. Pinot Grigio, or
Chardonnay should be perfect, and they go well with any kind of pasta,
too.

With my curries, I personally prefer cider. Nothing beats a fresh pint
(or two) of Scrumpy Jack.


Have an nice one,
Peter

Quoting from message >
posted on 1 Jul 2004 by Peter Zinckgraf
I would like to add:


> Jonny wrote:
>
> > The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> > Italian style dish.
> > The main is a full bodied curry.
> > What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> > the two very different courses.

<snip>

> With my curries, I personally prefer cider. Nothing beats a fresh pint
> (or two) of Scrumpy Jack.

or Thatcher's cider made from single variety apples - Katy or Spartan go
well with curries.

--
....ElaineJ... Home Pages and FAQ of uk.food+drink.indian can be viewed at
....Kinetic... http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones/ufdi/index.html
...StrongArm.. Under construction, FAQ, recipes, tips, booklist, links
....RISC PC... Questions and suggestions please, email or to the newsgroup

Quoting from message >
posted on 30 Jun 2004 by Jonny
I would like to add:

> Can you advise me on what wine to choose for a meal we are having this
> weekend with friends?

> The proposed menu is a starter of tomato/basil pasta. Meant to be an
> Italian style dish.


> The main is a full bodied curry.
> What I am looking for is suggestions of a style of wine that may suit
> the two very different courses. Grapes etc rather than specific brands

This query has come up a couple of times and if you check google groups
you'll find that it initiated long discussions both times and there was
no conclusive agreement.

Personally for wine with Indian curry I go for a gutsy Aussie Shiraz.

--
....ElaineJ... Home Pages and FAQ of uk.food+drink.indian can be viewed at
....Kinetic... http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones/ufdi/index.html
...StrongArm.. Under construction, FAQ, recipes, tips, booklist, links
....RISC PC... Questions and suggestions please, email or to the newsgroup

In message >, Elaine Jones
> writes

>Personally for wine with Indian curry I go for a gutsy Aussie Shiraz.

Between courses, a decently drinkable Aussie for about £6

*During* courses, if highly spiced; save the money and pay £3 for some
Bulgarian Cab Sauv ... it cuts grease really well ...

The stronger the curry, the rougher the wine ... in my view

Personally I *do* like a chilled lager with my grub ... had plenty of
water on Thursday, that was fine as the food was very mild.
--
Rex M F Smith

In ,
Rex M F Smith ]> typed:
> In message >, Elaine Jones
> > writes
>
>>Personally for wine with Indian curry I go for a gutsy Aussie
Shiraz.
>
> Between courses, a decently drinkable Aussie for about £6
>
> *During* courses, if highly spiced; save the money and pay £3
for some
> Bulgarian Cab Sauv ... it cuts grease really well ...
>
> The stronger the curry, the rougher the wine ... in my view


I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. With
highly spiced food--for example Indian, Chinese, or Mexican--I
almost always prefer almost any white to any red. I think the
reason is simply that I prefer chilled wine with spicy food.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Salut/Hi Ken Blake,

le/on Mon, 5 Jul 2004 16:57:00 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

>In ,
>Rex M F Smith ]> typed:
>> In message >, Elaine Jones
>> > writes
>>
>>>Personally for wine with Indian curry I go for a gutsy Aussie
>Shiraz.

Can't agree, sorry.

>> The stronger the curry, the rougher the wine ... in my view

Again, can't agree.

>I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. With
>highly spiced food--for example Indian, Chinese, or Mexican--I
>almost always prefer almost any white to any red. I think the
>reason is simply that I prefer chilled wine with spicy food.

I quite agree with you, Ken. As I've said on the many occasions that the
subject has come up on afw, at best the choice of wines with dishes
containing significant levels of chiles and other spices, is damage
limitation. I know TomS doesn't agree, but I think he's in a small minority
on this.

So from the point of view of damage limitation, I find that spicy wines with
some sweetness, served cold, resist better than almost anything else. I've
not tried a powerful Gruner Veltliner, and it's possible that such a wine
may well be a good example of the type of wine I'm thinking of. My shortlist
would be for a reasonably priced Gewurztraminer.

A much better choice would be beer, and better yet fruit juice (real fruit
juice). In India, water or lassi seem to be the beverages of choice, if
anything, though as I understand it, most people there don't drink much with
Indian food.

One problem of course, is that the range of dishes under the umbrella of
"indian food" varies hugely, from the meat phall so beloved of "after the
pub" machismo types in the UK, where nothing whatsoever can survive (except
TomS' mouth), to the most delicate roast chicken, with just a touch of lemon
and garlic water, where the spicing won't stop any wine showing well.
However, if you consider the _sort_ of food normally found in Indian
restaurants up and down the UK (especially), with rich sauces containing
liberal amounts of a variety of spices like chillies (UK spelling) coriander
powder, cumin powder, turmeric, cardamom and so on, then my previous
generalisations are valid.

I know that many food writers (including Jaffrey and Chapman etc) are happy
to recommend wines for curry, but I don't think they are using sufficiently
exacting criteria to judge the matches. I think their suggestions are more
driven by the public _demand_ for a match, than by its success.

One question I'd ask of anyone proposing a match is "is the wine going to
taste better for being drunk with this dish?" If the answer is "no" as it
will be in 99% of cases then the match is never better than moderate. The
other question is the mirror image. "Will the dish taste better for being
matched with this wine?". Again if the answer is "no" then it's NOT a good
match.

I should say that I am a long term (>40 years) fan of indian food and a
slightly less long term fan (>30) years of wine. In the twenty years I've
practiced my favourite hobby of matching food and wine, I've never ever
found a _good_ match (using the criteria above) of any typical "curry",
though I've tried often enough as you can imagine.

(as a personal note to you, I've not forgotten to contact the SNCF on your
behalf soon).
--
All the Best
Ian Hoare
http://www.souvigne.com
mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website

In ,
Ian Hoare > typed:

> Salut/Hi Ken Blake,

>>I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. With
>>highly spiced food--for example Indian, Chinese, or Mexican--I
>>almost always prefer almost any white to any red. I think the
>>reason is simply that I prefer chilled wine with spicy food.
>
> I quite agree with you, Ken. As I've said on the many occasions
that
> the subject has come up on afw, at best the choice of wines
with
> dishes containing significant levels of chiles and other
spices, is
> damage limitation. I know TomS doesn't agree, but I think he's
in a
> small minority on this.
>
> A much better choice would be beer, and better yet fruit juice
(real
> fruit juice).


I've never had fruit juice with Indian food (I'm not sure that
the sweetness wouldn't bother me), but I clearly agree on the
beer. I think iced tea works well too.


> (as a personal note to you, I've not forgotten to contact the
SNCF on
> your behalf soon).


Thanks, Ian.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

In ,
Ian Hoare > typed:

> Salut/Hi Ken Blake,

>>I've been thinking about this the past couple of days. With
>>highly spiced food--for example Indian, Chinese, or Mexican--I
>>almost always prefer almost any white to any red. I think the
>>reason is simply that I prefer chilled wine with spicy food.
>
> I quite agree with you, Ken. As I've said on the many occasions
that
> the subject has come up on afw, at best the choice of wines
with
> dishes containing significant levels of chiles and other
spices, is
> damage limitation. I know TomS doesn't agree, but I think he's
in a
> small minority on this.
>
> A much better choice would be beer, and better yet fruit juice
(real
> fruit juice).


I've never had fruit juice with Indian food (I'm not sure that
the sweetness wouldn't bother me), but I clearly agree on the
beer. I think iced tea works well too.


> (as a personal note to you, I've not forgotten to contact the
SNCF on
> your behalf soon).


Thanks, Ian.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

It's a matter of taste, of course, but I find a chardonnay goes best with
most Indian food. Even the rather hot stuff. Only lightly oaked, and many
might prefer an unoaked chardonnay with Indian food.

Cordially, Phil
--
################################################## #############################
Dr Phil Diamond
Department of Mathematics, University of Queensland, Brisbane,AUSTRALIA 4072.
Tel +61 7 3365 3253 Fax +61 7 3365 1477

In message >, Ken Blake
> writes

>I
>almost always prefer almost any white to any red. I think the
>reason is simply that I prefer chilled wine with spicy food.


I don't mind my red chilled ... and my reading suggests that this "room
temperature" business for a red begins in the 18th Century before
central heating ...

The average room temperature then might be 5 degrees where the wine was
stored ...


I also have an "issue" with continental white wines; I've found I *can*
drink Aussie whites ... but whatever's been added to French, and
particularly Austrian, whites upsets me terribly.


Should have made the more plain, sorry
--
Rex M F Smith

Rex M F Smith wrote:

> I don't mind my red chilled ... and my reading suggests that this "room
> temperature" business for a red begins in the 18th Century before
> central heating ...

Certainly. Few red wines benefit from being served at 75 F. Most taste
better at 60-65 F, though the bigger the wine, the warmer its serving
temperature.

>
> The average room temperature then might be 5 degrees where the wine was
> stored ...

Assuming that you refer to 5°C (afw being a group that includes we
metrically challenged USAians), I doubt that even in the 18th Century
many rooms would have been kept that cool except in the bitterest of
winters. Insulation and fire were known even back then! ;-)

>
>
> I also have an "issue" with continental white wines; I've found I *can*
> drink Aussie whites ... but whatever's been added to French, and
> particularly Austrian, whites upsets me terribly.

"Added"?? Nothing but grapes and yeast -- and in some cases sugar,
which gets fermented to alcohol by bottling time. Of course, that's
excepting the rare, dishonest winemaker. I'd guess that your problem
lies with the acidity of the wine. White wines from Europe are more
acidic than either most red wines or white wine from the New World.

Mark Lipton
wine and curry fancier