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Italian Wine Pairings for Indian Food, Page 2
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 11–20 of 39 dishes
Samosa
Samosa is a triangular fried pastry, tracing to Central Asia in the 9th century via Silk Road trade, filled with spiced potato, peas and cumin, or minced meat in the Punjabi version. Served with tamarind-mint chutney. Franciacorta and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore are the fry-oil classics; Falanghina del Sannio is the still alternative.
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Tandoori chicken
Tandoori chicken was popularised in Peshawar and Delhi in the 1940s by Kundan Lal Gujral: yogurt-marinated chicken rubbed with Kashmiri chilli, garam masala and ginger-garlic, cooked in a 450C clay tandoor. The char edges and dry-heat crust define the dish. Barbera d'Asti and Etna Rosso are textbook pairings; Franciacorta is the sparkling alternative.
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Chicken korma
Korma is a Mughlai braise brought by Central Asian cooks to 16th century Delhi: meat slow-cooked in yogurt, ground cashew or almond, cream and whole-spice stock. The British-Indian takeaway version keeps the mild register, adds coconut. Gewürztraminer Alto Adige and Moscato d'Asti sit cleanly under the cream; Falanghina del Sannio is the drier aromatic alternative.
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Chicken tikka
Chicken tikka is the dry-cooked Punjabi cousin of chicken tikka masala: cubed chicken marinated in yogurt, Kashmiri chilli, ginger-garlic and garam masala, skewered and fired in a tandoor to bright red-orange edges. Served on its own with lemon and mint chutney. Barbera d'Asti's acid fits the char; Conegliano Prosecco Superiore lifts the lemon-yogurt side.
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Dal makhani
Dal makhani is the Punjabi slow-cook signature: whole urad dal and red kidney beans simmered overnight with tomato, cream, butter and garam masala, originally from Moti Mahal in 1950s Delhi. Deep creamy-savoury. Barbera d'Asti and Etna Rosso handle the cream-savoury weight; Gewürztraminer Alto Adige is the aromatic white alternative.
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Fish pakora
Fish pakora is the Punjabi deep-fried fritter: firm fish marinated in yogurt and carom seed, coated in chickpea flour (besan) with ajwain and fried to golden crisp. Served with mint-coriander chutney. Franciacorta and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore are the fry-oil specialists; Fiano di Avellino is the still-white alternative.
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Lamb biryani
Lamb biryani is the heavier Mughlai biryani register: gosht marinated overnight with yogurt and garam masala, layered with saffron basmati and sealed with dough for 90 minutes. The lamb-fat weight shifts the pairing toward red. Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) and Primitivo di Manduria are the two canonical answers.
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Onion bhaji
Onion bhaji is the British-Indian takeaway fritter: sliced onion bound in chickpea flour (besan) with ajwain, coriander and green chilli, deep-fried to golden. Served with mint-yogurt dip. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is the cleanest pairing; Franciacorta is the weightier fizz alternative; Falanghina del Sannio the still white.
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Paneer butter masala
Paneer butter masala is the vegetarian twin of butter chicken: cubes of fresh paneer cheese in a tomato-butter-cream sauce with kasuri methi. Mild, sweet-creamy, softly spiced. Gewürztraminer Alto Adige and Moscato d'Asti carry the cream-sugar. Drier alternative: Falanghina del Sannio.
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Chicken jalfrezi
Chicken jalfrezi is a British-Indian curry-house fixture (not a classical dish): leftover tandoori chicken wok-fried with green chilli, bell pepper, onion and a tomato-ginger gravy that keeps dry wok-char. Medium-hot register. Frappato (Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG) and Barbera d'Asti both handle the chilli-plus-fruit combination; Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore is the sparkling buffer option.
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