Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Tikka masala sets grilled chicken in a creamy, mildly spiced tomato sauce, so the wine must cut the cream, answer the tomato's acidity and carry a little sweetness or fruit to sit with the warm spice. An off-dry aromatic white leads. Avoid high-alcohol and tannic reds.

Pairs Perfectly

An off-dry Riesling, Mosel Spätlese, Germany. Its gentle sweetness soothes the spice while the racing acid cuts the cream and meets the tomato.

Pairs Well

A Garnacha rosado, Navarra, Spain. A fuller, darker rosé with the red fruit to flatter the sauce, and it costs very little.

A Pinot Gris from Alsace, off-dry, France. Its weight matches the creamy sauce and the off-dry fruit cushions the spice.

Worth Seeking Out

A dry Lambrusco Secco from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, from a serious producer. Quality dry Lambrusco is nothing like the sweet export version; its gentle fizz lifts the spice and its berry fruit flatters the sauce.

Avoid

High-alcohol and tannic reds, which sharpen the spice and clash with the cream.

Failing That

A Vouvray demi-sec, France.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Italy.

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