One reason many shy away from pairing wine with spicy food is that it’s so, so easy to get it wrong. There are several constituent parts in a wine that unfavourably accentuate the heat of a dish: for example, spice can increase our perception of alcohol, causing an unpleasant burn, intense acidity and astringent bitterness. This stifles the fruit and smothers the complexities of the dish, too.
It’s not a gastronomic question that’s easily answered with a catchy maxim, either. Chilli heat fills the mouth in a different way from the sting of wasabi, say, which is itself different from Sichuan pepper and fresh ginger. But it can be done, should you wish to have a glass of wine with your spicy meal rather than a beer, fruity cocktail or lassi.
