Spicy Dishes Wine Pairing

Hot peppers are a great way to spice up your meals. Mildly spicy of fiery, there’s no denying spicy dishes are thrilling to the point of being addictive. Spicy food has fans worldwide, and they deserve to be paired with wine, just like we’d do with any satisfying dinner.

To pair spicy dishes with perceivable heat from peppers, you need white wine with a noticeable sweetness. Alsatian white wines are ideal partners with a wide variety of Thai, Indian, North African and Latin American dishes that rely on hot peppers. You’ll find Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer to be ideal matches as well.

If the food is spicy but not hot, then you can pair it with an equally spicy red wine, more often than not found in Southern France. Mourvèdre from Bandol and Grenache-based wines from Minervois have a bouquet brimming with warm spices.

When in doubt, remember that sweetness tames the heat, and alcohol enhances it, so avoid wines with high alcoholic strength when enjoying spicy food. Find the right bottle in our selection of spicy food below.