It has always been thought that Indian food is best washed down with beer. What is better than a deep swirl of beer to clear your mouth of hot, spicy food. But recently, wine has made its appearance on Indian tables and domestic manufacturers have woken up to the flavour of this bouquet.

Grover wines, Riveria and Chantilly are some brand names that have hit Indian wine lists over the past few years. All priced between Rs 250 to Rs 300 a bottle, the good news is that decent domestic wine is not limited to the glitterati.

But the biggest problem arises when you have to decide which wine to uncork with which type of food. In the West, the rule has been white wine with chicken, vegetables and seafood; and red wine with steak, lamb and pork. But with Indian food it's not so easy. Leading French oenologist (a wine expert) Michel Rolland, who recently visited Mumbai, does not believe that certain foods match certain wines. He finds that no rules can be applied to Indian food. "Tandoor grilled lobster can go with white wine, red or even rose," he says. Whereas, he recommends red wine with kaali dal.

"White wine goes well with seafood done in the Malabari style," says Kanwal Grover of Grover Vineyards. But as a rule, you can eat most Indian food with rose wine. "It goes across the board," says Rolland.

Since Indian food is so heavily spiced, it becomes difficult to distinguish which wine would complement the meal. Normally, lighter food merits white wine and heavier food the red. "Though the Indian food is not as spicy in India as it is in Europe," says Rolland, "due to the high level of spice, restaurants serve beer with Indian food." Beer has always been recommended as an antidote for the masala-filled meals. "It was felt that Indian food was too strong for wine," says Rolland. But Grover disagrees. According to him, certain dishes would actually go better with wine than beer. "Give me fried fish pomfret with beer and I will spit it out. Drink it with white wine and the whole thing changes," says Grover. He feels that the wine was not widely drunk because it was not easily available. So, there has been no real culture of wine drinking in India. Grover insists that wine has been a part of Indian history. "Urdu poetry of over a 100 years ago mentions wine regularly," he says. In the last few years, since both Grover and Indage have developed their own vineyards, you can get champagne, red, white and rose wine here.

Though Indian beers are comparable to those in the West, Indian wines have always been looked down upon. Rollard disagrees. He says,"The wine available here can be compared to the table wine available in France." Rollard, who is doing some consultancy with Grover Vineyards, says that the wine quality should be improved. "Some of the grapes are now reaching their optimum level," he says.

Wine will probably grow in popularity, especially with people becoming more health conscious. Both the oil and spice content is being reduced in cooking, so wine is beginning to suit Indian food even more. Red wine finds itself on the prescription list, as this is one alcohol which is actually good for you. A glass of red wine will enhance your cardio-vascular system as it keeps your arteries supple.

Champagne is preferred by most Indians, not just for the snob value attached to it but because it has less calories. But champagne does not go with heavy and spiced Indian foods. "It should be drunk before food or maybe with the first course, if it is something light like smoked salmon," says Rollard.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.