Manti

Tiny hand-folded dumplings of thin pasta dough wrapped around a filling of seasoned minced lamb (sometimes beef), boiled briefly, then served drowned in garlicky yogurt with melted butter spiked with paprika or pul biber, dried mint, and sumac. The Turkish answer to ravioli or pelmeni, but smaller — a dozen manti might fit on a tablespoon — and entirely defined by the yogurt-and-butter dressing rather than the pasta itself. The signature is the contrast of thick cool garlic-yogurt against the warm spiced butter on top, with the dried mint and sumac as bright aromatic punctuation.

Pairs Perfectly

Riesling sec from Alsace, France. Dry Alsace Riesling brings high-acid mineral structure that cuts both yogurt and butter cleanly, the gentle stone-fruit profile meets dried mint and sumac without competing, and the moderate body matches the substantial dish — the rare wine that handles dairy fat at this concentration. A Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewächs from the Pfalz, Germany offers the same dry Riesling logic with single-vineyard mineral precision at a similar price point.

Pairs Well

Crémant d'Alsace from a serious producer, France. The Pinot Blanc-led traditional method brings carbonation that lifts butter and yogurt fat from the palate between bites, the lees autolytic complexity meets the spiced butter beautifully, and the substantial body handles the dish where leaner sparkling wines would feel thin.

Pinot Gris sec from Alsace, France. Dry Alsace Pinot Gris with stone-fruit weight and textural body meets the substantial yogurt-and-butter character without buckling, and the gentle spiced register sits alongside the paprika butter without competing — the fuller-bodied still answer where Riesling feels too lean.

Worth Seeking Out

Narince from Tokat, Turkey. The native Turkish white grape with mineral lift, citrus precision, and savoury-herbal character handles manti with regional fidelity, and the discovery of indigenous Turkish whites suits the dish's home context.

Avoid

Oaked whites — vanilla fights the dried mint and sumac; tannic reds — clash with the cool yogurt entirely; sweet wines — wrong against the savoury garlic; aromatic whites with rose or lychee — fight the spiced butter and mint.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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