Spicy Chow and Albarino
Beer automatically comes to mind when it comes to washing down a forkful of spicy paneer – a traditional Indian dish of pressed curdled milk that’s like a cross between tofu and queso blanco. But I am not in a traditional Indian restaurant or a greasy cabbie cafe. I’m at Graffiti, a shoebox of a restaurant in the East Village, and I’m drinking Albariño with one of the best paneers I’ve ever had. Prepared by Chef Jehangir Mehta, the signature cubed cheese dish is laced with tart green mango and a salty masala that shoots me straight into umami bliss.
How do my two different Albariños hold up to such bold and complex flavors? Surprisingly, the Don Olegario 2006 Albariño marries well with my cubes of textured paneer. A somewhat atypical tasting Albariño, with rounded body and smoky, near bacon fat-like character, I found the dish brought out a little mineral in the wine, a note that went otherwise undetected.
The bright and lean Bodegas de Palacio Fefinañes Albariño 2007 didn’t fare so well with mango paneer but it was a treat with Riesling-marinated foie gras, mustard seeds and a raspberry compote. The wine’s acidity balanced out the fatty foie while the compote brought out the fruit flavors.
I am endeared by Graffiti—it is barely bigger than my living room (and believe me when I say I live in a compact dwelling) and because Chef Mehta miraculously churns out his mix of sweet & savory and East meets West cuisine in a kitchen the size of a broom cupboard.
Bouncing back and forth between both wines while taking bites of dishes such as asparagus spears served on a wedge of puff pastry with tamarind sauce and wasabi peas or the crunchy chickpea-encrusted skate served with a refreshing mint yogurt, taught me two things: Albariño works with spicy chow and you cannot always predict how a wine will react to such assertive flavors. Ultimately, you have to experiment until you meet your match.
I recently talked to a very fashionable lifestyle editor friend of mine. She doesn’t know much about wine but she is aware of what she likes and somehow hooks into the zeitgeist. A few years ago it was rosé, last year it was Lambrusco and this year, she’s drinking Albariño. Personally, I love a refreshing, crisp white wine that shows purity of fruit and zippy acidity and Albariño often fits the bill.
Before chowing down at Graffiti I would have settled for Rías Baixas as an aperitif or with seafood, but next time I BYOB at my less-refined, guilty-pleasure Indian food joint, I’ll be taking a bottle of Albariño.
—————————————————-- Pameladevi Govinda
Pameladevi Govinda is a freelance beverage and lifestyle writer residing in NYC. Her work is frequently seen in City, Zink Magazine, and Beverage Dynamics.
