Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995                   TAG: 9505240039
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: EXTRA10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY BETH CRITTENDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THE RIGHT WINE ADDS SPARKLE TO SPICY FOODS

We had recently returned from a harvest party at an Oregon vineyard and had brought back some dry Gewurztraminer we'd found on sale. This was the wine that my husband selected for the meal. The wine's rich, floral spiciness matched beautifully with the highly spiced saffron rice, seafood, sausage and other paella ingredients. The dinner was a success, and I was onto something big.

Matching wine to spicy foods can make for great flavor combinations, putting the meal in balance and enhancing the food preparation. As with any wine and food match, you should first balance the heartiness of the wine and food, and then consider the flavors to be combined.

Wines that are rich in fruit flavors and floral qualities are my favorites for pairing with spicy foods. These wines, which may be either red or white, should be dry or semi-dry, since sweet wines do not match up well to many foods. (Too much sugar in wine can cover up the flavors in the food. The exceptions are dessert wines with dessert.)

Since spicy foods cover such a broad spectrum, one wine may not match with all of them.

Some of my favorite spicy food and wine pairings are:

nAsian foods in ginger-garlic sauces with Alsatian Riesling, Tokay pinot gris or pinot blanc

nCajun food with a dry or off-dry Gewurztraminer or chenin blanc

nChinese stir fry with sparkling wine

nCurried dishes with off-dry Gewurztraminer

nDuck quesadilla with mole sauce and pinot noir

nGerman sausages with off-dry Riesling

nGrilled flour tortillas, spicy salsa and a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon

nSausage Pizza with pinot gris

nSmoked turkey sandwich with mango chutney and Gewurztraminer

nSpicy-sweet barbecued ribs with red zinfandel

nSpicy Thai food with a crisp, dry German Riesling

nThanksgiving stuffing with a rich pinot gris

The following information, from the book ``Wine Savvy'' by Heidi Yorkshire, (Duplex Media Group, Portland, Ore.) gives a thumbnail sketch of pairing wines with various spices. Yorkshire suggests, however, that ultimately the best approach is to taste the wine you are considering and decide for yourself.

Cabernet sauvignon - allspice, mace, nutmeg.

Chardonnay - clove, ginger, orange zest.

Chenin blanc - allspice, clove and nutmeg.

Gewurztraminer - black pepper, cardamom, curry, fennel seeds, ginger, nutmeg.

Merlot - allspice, mace, nutmeg, star anise.

Pinot gris - coriander, orange zest, star anise, fennel seeds.

Pinot noir - allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, pink peppercorns.

Riesling - allspice, black pepper, clove, curry, ginger, mace, nutmeg.

Sauvignon blanc - black pepper, cumin, ginger.

Semillon - cumin, ginger, sweet paprika.

Syrah - mace, clove, juniper, cardamom, white pepper.

Zinfandel - cinnamon, anise, black pepper, clove.

I hope these suggestions will serve as a starting point to spice up your spicy meals.

Cheers!

THE WINE LIST runs once a month in the Extra section. Beth Crittenden is director of the Roanoke Valley Wine Society, which meets for wine-tasting programs the fourth Thursday of each month. Call 992-3285. Crittenden also is a Virginia wine wholesaler and because of this affiliation will not make specific brand-name recommendations. Address your questions about wines to The Wine List, Features Department, P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.