We always bring Riesling, especially aged Auslese, when eating Indian food. It pairs very well with that brown tamarind sauce and naan plus plenty of other Indian dishes, particularly the ones with chicken.
How about some German sausages? I’ve got knackwurst and sauerkraut on deck and am debating whether to open an old Becker or a younger, sweeter Riesling.
Most Indian dishes will be too intensive for the wine. Bratwust and Sauerkraut are too rustic for the wine. Drinking quite a lot of aged off-dry Rheingau Riesling with food, I have made the experience that they work well with a) game dishes like a venison saddle or a wild boar stew where you include some sweet components in the dish (like a venison saddle “Baden Baden”), b) raw marinated fish like salmon, mackerel or pike perch, best raw marinated with some spices and herbs, c) roasted root vegetables like carrots, parsnip or red beetroot and d) very hard cheese like aged Parmesan.
No food at all is the best choice by far. German wine of this tradition is not intended to be served with food. But you could do (in order of my preference):
Steven and Charlie, thanks for the guidance. I don’t cook game very frequently - and when it does happen, there’s a long queue of “great with game” wines waiting. Other suggestions are intriguing and I can mentally taste how well the roasted root veg would work.
It is a great wine that I have had several times. It is more on the savory side for an Auslese. I would say it would be perfect with some sort of roasted game or on its own.
Indian could also work as long as it is not to hot/spicey.
I think Charlie’s last three suggestions are on the right path.
Was it Theise that said pair older Auslese with the sauce, not the protein?
So, don’t concern yourself whether its vegetarian, beef, chicken or fish - think more about the preparation.
Pepper steak wouldn’t work, but beef in an orange sauce would be great.
Any Indian food would completely overwhelm this wine and make it almost impossible to detect any nuance on the palate. If I had to have food with it, I’d go with something prepared very simply.
Keep in mind that it likely won’t be as sweet as you think of for a younger Auslese, and acidity may have softened a fair amount as well. I would enjoy it by itself to start, then maybe something lighter and not too strong, like mussels, lobster, mild fish, something like that.
I’ll be sure to try some suggestions here. However, if you haven’t had Riesling with tamarind sauce you’re missing out on a great pairing. They have a synergy that makes them much more than either are alone.