INDIAN DISH #1 Gruner vs Riesling and Chicken Tikka Masala
THE FOOD: Kevin’s Natural Foods Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala, Ashoka Onion Paratha
THE WINES: Camins 2 Dreams Gruner Veltliner, Spear Vineyards, Sta. Rita Hills, 2022; Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling, Columbia Valley, 2021
THE MATCH: Side by side, we’ll try a dry, citrusy, herbaceous Gruner Veltliner and a medium-dry floral Riesling with Indian cuisine’s most famous dish.
Food: The wine and food life has plenty of room for convenience food products like Kevin’s Natural Foods Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala. This is not a stellar example of the dish, but has the requisite light chile heat, creaminess, and warm spices like clove and cardamom. The origin of Chicken Tikka Masala is debated crediting either an Indian restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland restaurant or a Birmingham, England Indian restaurant. In any case, the dish originated outside of India and its mild heat, cream, and light spices seem tailored to Western tastes. The best versions used cooked chicken cooked tandoori-style, adding a char and smokiness to the dish. Tikka refers to pieces of meat marinated in lemon and yogurt and cooked quickly. This packaged product, however, was plainly cooked sous vide chicken with a separately packed sauce. I like saucy Indian dishes with Indian bread; thus I paired it with a packaged onion paratha flatbread, heated on a griddle. The bread contained cilantro leaves and bonus cracked coriander seeds from the same plant.
Wine: The Camins 2 Dreams Gruner Veltliner has light citrus in the nose, a round palate with a suggestion of peppercorn, and grassy notes on the finish. The Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling traces lychee and jasmine on a honeyed palate without leaning hard into a tropical finish.
TOGETHER: The overall impression from trying these wines in alternating fashion with the chicken is that the Gruner holds the dish in place while the Riesling contrasts, punching out some of the spice notes and light heat. There is a small amount of sugar (3 grams per 5-ounce glass) in the Riesling which will add sweetness to the touch of sugar in the chicken tikka sauce.
The Gruner will give you the experience of food with wine, and the Riesling of food and wine. Next time, I’d like to cook my own chicken tikka masala, grilling or broiling the chicken and testing it with a Zinfandel or play off the spices with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc loaded with guava and gooseberry. But that will be another article.