Reviews: Wine for Spice - semi sparkling wines to add a sparkle to curries and spicy food

cool refreshingly sparkling wines - refreshing at curry-time, summer-time, anytime

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Jeni Barnett Great Food Live UK TV Food Not bad at all. Smells of apricots with a sour apple edge. I'll go for that lovely fizzy one to take home with me for a curry. I'll go for Number One (Rani Gold™

chosen #1 amongst 5 wines to drink with a curry)

Susie Barrie UK Great Food Live UKTV Food. I like a cold refreshing drink and wouldn't choose a red wine with a curry. Rani Gold™

is definitely refreshing a blend of Cava and Muscat. A nice touch of sweetness. A bit of fizz really refreshes your palate.

Nikki Bedi, BBC Radio Asian Network. "Wine for Spice's wines are a superb concept. They're brilliant. Probably the nicest wines I've had with spicy food. Absolutely superb combination."

James Bercovici, Counsel magazine. "The Cava-like Viceroy White™

should be paired with mildly spiced food. The slightly off-dry Raja Rosé™

can handle a bit more flavour but it was the distinctly aromatic Rani Gold™

that best partnered a medium-hot chicken curry."

Ed Bolton, Cambridge University Radio CUR1350 and star of "Beauty and The Geek" "I can just see myself having this (Raja Rosé™

) with a curry. It (Rani Gold™

) just goes down like a treat. You've got the fruitiness with the refreshing bubbles. There seems to be so much going on. Rather nice stuff."

Tom Cannavan, wine-pages.com: “matching wine to spicy food is a very tricky challenge and one where Edwardes has succeeded.”

Pat Chapman’s, The Curry Club: “Wine for Spice™ has gone one stage further. They have worked with a winery, crafting wines especially to match hot and spicy foods, and aimed them at beer drinkers.”

Clickwalla.com: “When pairing food and wine you are either looking for similar flavours to compliment one another or opposites; finding a good wine that goes well with spicy food can prove to be a bit tricky but with a cool choice of tantalising flavours, Wine for Spice™ definitely gets my vote.”

Neil Courtier Grape Sense: “There was a time, not so long ago, when the only wine recommended to accompany a spicy dish was a Gewürztraminer. These well crafted wines are great news for lovers of spicy cuisine & wine - as a combination that can work!”

Matthew Day daygustation.com, Young wine writer of the year 2002: "Everyone thought they made an excellent alternative to beer as a curry drink."

Heather Dougherty, Red White & Rosé: The Rani Gold™

was a revelation – when tasted on its own it was, well, OK – but with the heat of a Thai green curry it was transformed. The sweetness in the wine worked with the chilli to reduce the heat and the wine became light and refreshing. It was definitely a favourite at the tasting.

James Foster, Cambridgeshire Journal,: "… The Viceroy White™

matches lighter dishes such as tandoori chicken or korma .. Medium curries such as Rogan Josh or Bhuna get the Raja Rosé™

… Rani Gold™

works extremely well with hotter curries, such as Jalfrezi or Madras, as the slight extra sweetness teams up very well with the extra spice .. they accomplish the job they set out to do brilliantly. … a refreshing and gluggable wine to have with Indian food and I am sure that the more adventurous customers at the Waitrose store will be setting a trend for the rest of the country.”

Jamie Goode, wineanorak.co.uk, and wine columnist for the Sunday Express: “The fizziness and sweetness in tandem work very well in the two sweeter wines Raja Rosé™

and Rani Gold™

. The Raja Rosé™

was a surprisingly good match. The fizziness and acid countering the sweetness of the Rani Gold™

buffering the curry flavours to good effect. I’d probably give the Rani Gold™ a go in preference to a more conventional selection.”

Belinda Hakes, East Yorks: Hi Warren - quick, safe delivery! Nine are for Christmas presents and the rest for us; we had a veggie curry just before Christmas and found the wine really did go well. I found subsequently that each of the wines is also very enjoyable to drink on its own. Bottles will be taken next time we visit our favourite curry house in Sheffield.

Car

olyn Hammond Wine Tribune says Rani Gold™

has "A disarming nose of tropical fruit leads to a palate of rose water and lychee fruit. The wine is medium dry with a refreshing spritz. This would be a fine accompaniment to spicier foods such as Indian or Middle Eastern dishes. Viceroy White a light semi-sparkling dry white wine is a quaffable accompaniment to spicier dishes."

James Hayes, Rosé Expose: “I sampled the Raja Rosé™

at a Thai restaurant at the weekend, and it matched really well with a diversity of flavours/spiciness. Delicious!”

The Hotelier Magazine "Created to provide an answer to the perennial question of what is the ideal wine to drink with curry, Wine for Spice has won substantial acclaim."

Richard James, winewriting.com: “a cut above the usual offerings in Indian or Asian restaurants, looking closely at what works best with spicy food. The combination of aromatic fruit, fresh acidity, light fizz and a bit of sweetness in two of the wines Raja Rosé™

and Rani Gold™

- in addition to avoiding oak and tannin - is a solid one.”

Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com: “Wine for Spice™ have hit on a unique and excellent idea.”

Jennie Milsom, Good Housekeeping: “Cooling wines for spicy food .. refreshing, yet robust enough to cut through a fiery curry. ... We particularly loved Warren's Rani Gold™

an off-dry semi-sparkling white with a hint of mango .. Fantastically matched wines (with the Indian meal) - we were all saying afterwards how well they went together and how much more thirst-quenching than water they were!”

Peter May, winelabels.org: “A lot of thought and planning is going into Wine for Spice™. There are many wine drinkers who have beer with curry and these wines could be the ones to make them switch back.”

The Monk, The Asylum, Kerrang! Radio “I like that one (Raja Rosé™

) It was rather nice. Every glass that's come my way I've necked.

Victoria Moore, The Guardian: "I would definitely open Viceroy White™

on curry night if I had some in the fridge"

Graham Norton, Church of England Newspaper: “Light, naturally sparkling Raja Rosé™

.. well-judged balance of fruit and good acidity provided the perfect accompaniment to my Haggis.”

Dr Jay Patel, Watford: Rani Gold™

is fantastic and the Raja Rosé™

is great. The party was a great success. Lots of people asked me about the wine.

Lopa Patel, redhotcurry.com: “the primary reason so little wine is consumed in curry houses is simply because there isn’t a decent enough choice. It was refreshing, therefore to come across Wine for Spice™.”

John Porter, The Publican: "Now, this is a clever idea. Lightly sparkling wines ..., which you serve ice cold, so they’re as thirst quenching as beer or water. That should persuade a few more couples to stick with us for the evening.

Chris Scott, UK Wine Show: "I found the wines did take a lot of the heat from the food."

David Smith, The Curry House editor: “If you don’t drink warm flat beer with your curry why drink warm flat wine with it?”

Colin White, Chester: We mostly drank the Rani Gold™

, as the Indian food was quite hot, and I tasted it alongside Kingfisher Lager - surprisingly the Rani Gold™

won!!!

Chris Scott, UK Wine Show: "I found the wines did take a lot of the heat from the food."

Colin White, Chester: We mostly drank the Rani Gold™, as the Indian food was quite hot, and I tasted it alongside Kingfisher Lager - surprisingly the Rani Gold™ won!!!

Dr Jay Patel, Watford: Thanks a lot for your advice and the wines. Rani Gold™ is fantastic and the Raja Rosé™ is great. The party was a great success. Lots of people asked me about the wine.

Heather Dougherty, Red White & Rosé The Rani Gold was a revelation – when tasted on its own it was, well, OK – but with the

heat of a Thai green curry it was transformed. The sweetness in the wine worked with the chilli to reduce the heat and the wine became light and refreshing. It was definitely a favourite at the tasting.

Belinda Hakes, East Yorks.: Hi Warren - quick, safe delivery! Nine are for Christmas presents and the rest for us; we had a veggie curry just before Christmas and found the wine really did go well. I found subsequently that each of the wines is also very enjoyable to drink on its own. Bottles will be taken next time we visit our favourite curry house in Sheffield. Best wishes for the New Year, (and I do like the website!) Belinda.

Graham Norton, Church of England Newspaper: “Wine for Spice and independent company which has wines in Spain made to its exact specification to match spicy food suggested its Raja Rosé™. Light, naturally sparkling, with a slight fruitiness on the nose, it is a blend of two black grapes: 70% Garnacha Tinta and the rest Tempranillo. Its well-judged balance of fruit - ripe red cherries came to mind - and good acidity provided the perfect accompaniment to my Haggis, a good foil to its dense savoury meatiness. The wine is available from a limited number of Waitrose stores, or online via wineforspice.com

The Monk, The Asylum, Kerrang! Radio “I like that one (Raja Rosé™) It was rather nice. Every glass that's come my way I've necked.

Rani Gold™ chosen #1 on Great Food Live on UKTV Food with Susie Barrie and Jeni Barnett .

Rani Gold™ chosen #1 on Great Food Live on UKTV Food with Susie Barrie and Jeni Barnett . Rani Gold™ quoted at £5.99 came top pitted against wines costing upto double - Sainsburys Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner £6.99, an Greenlough Riesling Nelson 2004 from Lay & Wheeler £9.95, Cono Sur Single Vineyard Gewrztraminer "El Marco" 2005 £7.99 Majestic and Alsace Pinot Gris, Albert Mann Cuvee Albert at £11.99 from Oddbins.

Jeni Barnett Great Food Live UK TV Food Not bad at all. Smells of apricots with a sour apple edge. I'll go for that lovely fizzy one to take home with me for a curry. I'll go for Number One.

Susie Barrie UK Great Food Live UKTV Food. I like a cold refreshing drink and wouldn't choose a red wine with a curry. Rani Gold™ is definitely a refreshing a blend of Cava and Muscat. A nice touch of sweetness. A bit of fizz really refreshes your palate.

Carolyn Hammond Wine Tribune says Rani Gold has "A disarming nose of tropical fruit leads to a palate of rose water and lychee fruit. The wine is medium dry with a refreshing spritz. This would be a fine accompaniment to spicier foods such as Indian or Middle Eastern dishes. Viceroy White a light semi-sparkling dry white wine tastes more like a cider than a white wine and at 11.5% alcohol, it is a quaffable accompaniment to spicier dishes."

Warren Edwardes interviewed live on radio by Nikki Bedi of BBC Radio Asian Network. "Wine for Spice's wines are a superb concept. They're brilliant. Probably the nicest wines I've had with spicy food. Absolutely superb combination."

Jennie Milsom, Good Housekeeping: “Cooling wines for spicy food. What makes a wine refreshing,

yet robust enough to cut through a fiery curry? One that's naturally sparkling, un-oaked, and doesn't have mouth-drying tannins' says wine developer Warren Edwardes. We particularly loved Warren's Rani Gold - an off-dry semi-sparkling white with a hint of mango. there's also a crisp white for mild dishes and a rosé that excellent for lamb dishes. Fantastically matched wines (with the Indian meal) - we were all saying afterwards how well they went together and how much more thirst-quenching than water they were!” Good Housekeeping October 2006

Ed Bolton, Cambridge University Radio CUR1350 and star of "Beauty and The Geek" "I do like

this (Viceroy White™). I can just see myself having this (Raja Rosé™) with a curry. It (Rani Gold™) just goes down like a treat. You've got the fruitiness with the refreshing bubbles. All three of the wines from Wine for Spice I would consider buying myself. There seems to be so much going on. Rather nice stuff. It is actually worth trying for yourself."

Martin Dawes, The Sheffield Star: "Warren has the right wines to take with curry. .. worked out that higher levels of acidity (which you taste as a refreshing quality) aids the palate when eating spicy food. And the hotter it gets on your plate the sweeter your wine needs to be. .. sampled his Viceroy White, a crisp dry wine for mild dishes such as chicken tikka or korma, Raja Rosé for medium spiced mutton dopiaza or rogan josh and if you are brave enough for a vindaloo, the Rani Gold. Not reds, you note. Warren says the tannins get in the way. But he's working on it. Just as you add milk to tea to mask the tannins he's thinking of combining a buttery or "milky" chardonnay to a red to get the same effect. " January 9, 2006

Neil Courtier Grape Sense: "There was a time, not so long ago, when the only wine recommended to accompany a spicy dish was a Gewürztraminer. These well crafted wines are great news for lovers of spicy cuisine & wine - as a combination that can work!” 17th March 2006 Grape Sense

Now, this is a clever idea. Lightly sparkling wines developed especially to be drunk with curries and spicy food. There are two whites and a rosé, which you serve ice cold, so they’re as thirst quenching as beer or water. That should persuade a few more couples to stick with us for the evening rather than sloping off to the Bombay Palace.

James Foster, Cambridgeshire Journal: "… The Viceroy White™ matches lighter dishes such as tandoori chicken or korma .. Medium curries such as Rogan Josh or Bhuna get the Raja Rosé™ … Rani Gold™ works extremely well with hotter curries, such as Jalfrezi or Madras, as the slight extra sweetness teams up very well with the extra spice .. they accomplish the job they set out to do brilliantly. … a refreshing and gluggable wine to have with Indian food and I am sure that the more adventurous customers at the Waitrose store will be setting a trend for the rest of the country.” April 2006

I like curries, but not beer. Can you suggest something else alcoholic to drink, perhaps a wine?
First, we need to define what we mean by curry. Only a fool would attempt to match a wine to elegantly spiced food such as that served in high-end Indian restaurants without knowing the precise dish. Descend to the more generic level of takeaways, or supermarket ready-meals, though, and you have a different proposition.

I've always found the brisk, junipery fizz of a gin and tonic a fair accompaniment. But wine? Years of diligent research has convinced me it is simply not made for curry: the combination of the tannin and/or oak in a red with the chilli and spice in a takeaway is particularly shudder-inducing.

However, Delhi-raised wine lover Warren Edwardes begs to differ. Through his company Wine For Spice, he sells three wines - two whites and a rosé - expressly designed to complement spicy food. It is a project he approached very analytically. "I wanted them to be refreshing, gently semi-sparkling, have good acidity, no tannin and no wood - all the qualities you find in lager or gin and tonic. Two are also off-dry."

I tried all three, one of which (the dry one) I would definitely open on curry night if I had some in the fridge. Called Viceroy White (£5.99, wineforspice.com), its gentle spritz, crisp, apple taste and fruity swell work well with the mild, creamy likes of a korma as well as with middlingly spicy dishes. It's a non-vintage blend of cava grapes - macabeo, parellada and xarello - made in Spain, which suggests that a simple, not too fizzy cava might also be a good with-curry option.

Be warned however: this is no fine wine - drunk alone it would seem disappointingly vacant. But that's not its purpose. "It's a beverage wine," says Edwardes, "to knock back with curry as you would a lager, without even thinking." In that respect I think it succeeds.

Wine for Spice™ was created to finally extinguish that burning question of the ideal wine to drink with curry. The naturally semi-sparkling fine wines Viceroy White™, Raja Rosé™ and Rani Gold™ are refreshing at curry time and refreshing in the summer time. The novel key to these new wines is in one word - REFRESHING. The semi-sparkling nature avoids the unpleasant effects of gaseous overload yet retains all the refreshing qualities of a cold beer. Fruitiness and residual sugar in the range rise in relation to the spiciness of the accompanying dish –
Viceroy with mild dishes; Raja with medium and Rani with spicy dishes. A refreshing wine should also have a good level of mouth-watering acidity (think of Nimboo Pani) but avoid mouth-drying tannin – so no red wines for the moment. The wines are also free from oak which clashes with spice giving a bitter harsh aftertaste. A good degree of alcohol is required to provide body but excess alcohol can add to the burning sensation of chillies. The Viceroy and Rani have 11.5% ABV and the Raja has 12.5% ABV. more

20th November 2003 If you sympathise with the following sentiment - "I don't drink warm flat beer with my curry - so why should I drink warm flat wine with it?" then relief is at hand. Warren Edwardes not only coined the phrase but decide to do something about it. His company, Wine for Spice, has produced 3 semi-sparkling wines which are claimed to be the ideal partners for curry and other spicy food. link

Comment by James Hayes, author of best-seller Rosé Expose. 17th September 2003

My partner Jane and I sampled the Raja Rosé at a Thai restaurant at the weekend, and it matched really well with a diversity of flavours/spiciness. Delicious!

... Up to now it has been assumed that Asian ladies are too shy to consume wine in public or that there aren't any suitable wines for curry. Well I am happy to report that both these assumptions are wrong. The primary reason so little wine is consumed in curry houses is simply because there isn't a decent enough choice. It was refreshing, therefore to come across 'Wine for Spice', a new venture by financial services consultant Warren Edwardes.

In my personal taste test, the Raja Rose seemed most appropriate as an aperitif wine. It's light texture and tangy bite making it an ideal accompaniment to pickles and papad!

Personally I found the cool taste and bubbles in the Viceroy White helped to increase the taste of the food. .... It is a dry crisp wine with a pleasing taste and fine acidity.

Imagine my surprise then that Rani Gold was actually my favourite! It has none of the floral bouquet of a Gewurztraminer, but the interplay of the Muscat grape with the bubbles makes it a splendidly refreshing, very drinkable wine at any temperature.

Served chilled it would make a terrific aperitif wine for parties and served at room temp, it still slid down my throat very comfortably!

wine for spice's raja rose viceroy white rani gold

For many of us having a quick curry followed by a pint of beer has been a customary common occurrence until now that is; as a new brand of drinks has hit the streets - claming to be the perfect substitute if you fancy a change.... these wines come in three tantalising semi-sparkling flavours which hope to tempt curry-holics away from beer and larger. ...

When pairing food and wine you are either looking for similar flavours to compliment one another or opposites; finding a good wine that goes well with spicy food can prove to be a bit tricky but with a cool choice of tantalising flavours, Wine’s for Spice definitely gets my vote.

WHAT TO DRINK with Indian meals is the question and too frequently lager is the answer, which is understandable when you read the lacklustre wine lists featuring once fashionable names like 'Piersporter' and 'Liebfraumilch' presented by many curry establishments. It's difficult for restaurants as their operators rarely have any background in wine and are often forbidden by their religion to taste them. Help is on the way from a couple of sources. Cobra Beer, already served in many Indian restaurants, is now distributing a number of wines selected to match the cuisine. Wine for Spice has gone one stage further. They have worked with a winery, crafting wines especially to match hot and spicy foods, and aimed them at beer drinkers. Full article PDF

I generally do not recommend wine with hot and spicy foods. However, I received the e-mail from Warren Edwardes, CEO of Wine for Spice Ltd., London, England. According to Mr. Edwardes not drinking wine with spicy foods may be a thing of the past. ...

Take a look at Mr. Edwardes e-mail .. and his very interesting web site for more information. See the 'Wine for Spice' link ... You may want to save this informative link as a source and for Wine for Spice updates. More

Wine With Curry? Peter May tastes wines designed to complement Indian meals.

Wines for Spice

'Wine for Spice' is the inspiration of Warren Edwardes who hopes to encourage British curry-holics to pass on boring beer and try his range of three semi- sparkling wines designed especially to match spicy Asian foods. Warren, who comes from Goa, has family in Spain and it is there that he recently worked with a local winery to design lightly naturally sparkling wines that would not only tempt beer drinkers but also satisfy wine drinkers. Warren told me that while he was drinking cold beers with a curry he realised that a lightly sparkling wine served ice cold would also make an ideal accompaniment.

...

A lot of thought and planning is going into Wine for Spice, ...there are many wine drinkers who have beer with curry and these wines could be the ones to make them switch back.

Wine for Spice have hit on a unique and excellent idea. Chris Kissane, The Wine Doctor

"Everyone thought they made an excellent alternative to beer as a curry drink." Matthew Day Young wine writer of the year 2002. Daygustation

Warren Edwardes is a brave man: he’s built a business that aims to find the right wine to match with curry. It’s called Wine for spice. I’ve always been one of those rather sceptical types who were of the belief that the best match for curry is a cold beer, but I’m an open minded sort of guy so I agreed to give Warren’s wines a go. I matched them with several typical curry dishes. They are all made in a rarely seen semi-sparkling style, and there’s a dry white, a semi-sweet white and a semi-sweet rosé. Below are my notes on the wines and how they faired with the curries. Surprisingly, the fizziness and sweetness in tandem work very well in the two sweeter wines.Surprisingly, the fizziness and sweetness in tandem work very well in the two sweeter wines.

Viceroy White Dry NV
Very crisp and fizzy with tart appley lemony fruit. Quite neutral and needs food because of the acidity. Very good 83/100
Overwhelmed by the curry: you just get the acidity and tartness. It cuts through the flavour well, but there’s nothing left of it once it has emerged.

Raja Rosé Medium Dry NV
Sweet strawberry fruit on the nose. The palate is fizzy with sweet fruit, but the high acidity leaves it feeling rather dry despite the residual sugar. Very good 82/100
A surprisingly good match: the weight of flavour and residual sugar cut through well.

Rani Gold Medium Dry NV
Grapey, aromatic sweet nose. The palate is fizzy, sweet and grapey with good acidity. The sweetness and acidity counter each other well. Very good 83/100
The residual sugar really works well here. A good match, with the fizziness and acid countering the sweetness, and buffering the curry flavours to good effect.

So, the crunch question: if I was dining in a curry house and saw Warren’s wines on the list, would I opt for them or stick with my beer? In all honesty, I’d go for the beer. Habits are hard to break. But if I was with someone who wanted wine, I’d probably give the Rani Gold a go in preference to a more conventional selection. article by Jamie Goode

These three semi-sparkling wines from Ampurdán-Costa Brava in north-east Spain represent the first stage of a potentially broad range launched by Wine for Spice. Owner Warren Edwardes has sourced some interesting wines here, a cut above the usual offerings in Indian or Asian restaurants, looking closely at what works best with spicy food. The combination of aromatic fruit, fresh acidity, light fizz and a bit of sweetness in two of the wines - in addition to avoiding oak and tannin - is a solid one. I've also found before that rosés make particularly good partnerships in a wine with spice context. Future developments may include a Vinho Verde/Albariño/Verdelho, sparkling Shiraz or Tempranillo, medium-dry Riesling, and 'fully' sparkling rosé and white.

Raja Rosé: Good all-rounder from fairly hot chicken dishes to nicely flavoured saag aloo. Attractive full red fruits, rose petals and lightly earthy notes too; quite weighty style, not so medium thanks to a touch of crisp acidity and that lively frothiness.

Rani Gold: Copes reasonably well with hot sauces; too sweet with lighter, buttery or nutty dishes. Sweet grapey aromatic style with gentle lychee notes, the CO2 and acidity add an extra dimension making it taste much drier with well spiced dishes.

Viceroy White: Drink with a delicately spiced fish or prawn dish, nothing too hot. Fresh floral zesty style with crisp acidity and appley nutty finish, the slight fizz giving it a bit of life on the palate; quite good wine actually in a simple, well made way. Richard James

James Bercovici, Counsel magazine, Nov 2005. Three wines comprise WineforSpice.com’s entire list (all £5.99, Buy 2 half cases get 1 free). These refreshingly saprkling Spanish wines drunk beer cold are designed for Indian foods but, it must be stressed, all depends on what you are eating. The Cava-like Viceroy White is dry with sherbet and apple characters; it should be paired with mildly spiced food. The slightly off-dry Raja Rosé can handle a bit more flavour but it was the distinctly aromatic Rani Gold that best partnered a medium-hot chicken curry.

Specialists in wines to accompany curries and spicy food - and the combination seems to work quite well. The wines are all naturally semi-sparkling, with the first three sourced from Northern Spain. As Wine for Spice say, "If you don't drink warm, flat beer with a curry, why drink warm flat wine with it?" link

Warren Edwardes who is of Goan and Anglo-Indian descent and CEO of Wine for Spice Ltd., has launched a range of wines to accompany spicy foods.

That ever-present question of what wine to drink with spicy dishes may have found an answer. Warren Edwardes, CEO of Wine for Spice Ltd™, decided to commission three wines specifically to complement Indian, Mexican, Malaysian Thai and other spicy cuisines.

The wines are aptly named Raja Rosé™, Viceroy White™ and Rani Gold™. All three wines are semi-sparkling and are made in Spain.

Set for launch this coming September through November, Raja Rosé™ is a blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo and is described as being 'redolent of cherries and plums'. It matches well with lamb and pork, Tandoori dry dishes and mild curries.

Viceroy White™ is a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo with hints of green apple and citrus. It is a dry crisp wine with a pleasing taste and fine acidity. Match with Chicken and Fish Tandoori, Tikka and mild curries.

Rani Gold™ has just a touch of sweetness and is described as being 'reminiscent of Alphonso mangoes'. The slightly higher sugar content "tames the flames" and makes Rani Gold™ ideal for hotter curries. It has a majority of Muscat in the blend in addition to Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo.