The Whys of Wine - What Wine with Spicy Foods?

This week we have a question from our faithful reader FilotetteManfredi:

L'abbinamento vino e peperoncino. E' ritenuto molto difficile per le sensazioni causate dalla capsicina contenuta nel peperoncino. Abbinamento considerato fino a qualche tempo fa addirittura impossibile e tanti pensavano che qualunque vino con la cucina a base piccante fosse sprecato. Non essendo ormai nella cucina moderna il peperoncino l'elemento base, ma si combina con salse, confetture e mousse anche il vino riesce a ritagliarsi il suo spazio offrendo nuovi sapori e combinazioni accattivanti, di sicuro interesse... Hai consigli di vini per varie cucine regionali piccanti?

Translated: A wine/hot pepper pairing. This is considered very difficult because of the sensations caused by capsaicin in hot peppers. This pairing, until recently, was considered impossible and many people thought that any wine was wasted on spicy foods. Now that hot peppers are not a basic element in modern cooking, but rather are part of sauces, jams and mousses, wines are able to carve a space out for themselves at the table, offering new flavors and attractive combinations, that are certainly very interesting... Do you have any suggestions for pairings with various spicy cuisines?

This is an interesting question coming from an Italian, considering that most of the wine pairing challenges for spicy foods that might leave Americans confused (Mexican, Thai, Indian, etc.) are not even present here, or at least hard to find. But southern Italian cuisine can be quite hot, due to the ever present Italian peperoncino:


But it's not hard to find an enjoyable pairing with either spicy Italian food or other Asian cuisines. Here are the keys to remember:

• Alcohol produces a hot sensation on it's own, so a high alcohol wine will only make your spicy food seem more firey. You're looking for something low alcohol, under 11%.
• Acidity helps - The acidity in wine is what makes you salivate after you've swallowed it. That mean wine is doing its job - quenching your thirst while you are eating. This is important in general, but especially in this case to counteract the heat of these dishes.
• Residual sugar in your wine can help too - this is the sugar left in the wine that was never fermented into alcohol. Not all wines have this. It can help with some of the burning from a really spicy dish.
• You don't want a tannic red - tannins dry your mouth out, so you don't need that with spice.
  

You can't generalize, it depends on the dish, but here are a few suggestions:

Dishes with Italian hot peppers (peperoncino): Usually these Italian dishes have a subtle spice from peperoncino, unless you are in Calabria! These dishes are usually tomato based or have a tomato based sauce, and light reds go well with them. The only trick is to watch the tannins, and serve with a slight chill to keep the alcohol in check. Normally with any Italian dish I would automatically say drink the local wines, though Ciro DOC, the most famous Calabrian wine, can be a bit tannic. Look for a Val di Neto as a good alternative, or a Barbera if all else fails.



Creamy curry dishes: These dishes usually have Indian spice blends such as garam masala, making them difficult to pair up with. A low alcohol Muller Thurgau, served chilled, should be able to stand up to this, with an acidity that cuts through the creaminess and floral notes that complement the spice. An Alsatian Sylvaner would also be excellent.



Hot & spicy Thai dishes: You can use some sweetness to balance the heat in these dishes, especially since Thai food often incorporates sweet flavors into their meals. Try German rieslings, such as an Auslese (late harvest). It should have low alcohol (8-10% by volume).



Mexican (jalapeno): Light beers or a margarita always goes well with Mexican food, but if you have your heart set on wine there are options. Anything with cheese or creamy beans, and meats in tomato based sauces could do with a rose' or light, fruity red. A Merlot or a Pinot Noir would be interesting, or a rose' served chilled. A Teroldego from the Trentino in Northern Italy would be an interesting experiment. Avoid any oaked reds with Mexican.



As with all things wine, all of this is very subjective! Pairings are like rules, meant to be broken. Here is an article that shows you some funky alternative pairings by none other than restaurateur Danny Meyer. So get out there and have fun, with trial and error you will find out what wines you like with what foods!

This post has made me very hungry!