Aviary Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé

ARE there any wines that are not improved by being paired with an appropriate food?

Or vice-versa.

Beer and curry is the exception that many people make, and while I do love to drink well-made beer with food, the beer needs to packed with flavour not just the cold fizzy emptiness of commercial lager.

At a recent meal in Nepalese restaurant Montys of Kathmandu in Temple Bar in Dublin the point was proven once again with some very fine Piedmontese wines from the house of Pio Cesare.

Shiva Gautam of Montys has always taken great care over his wine list and has been known to insist his customers taste wine with their food first before he will sell them a beer.

“It is rare that my customers do not agree with my wine choices and opt for beer. Lager is far too gassy and bland for the fine flavours in my food,” he insists. So it proved with all the Pio Cesare wines we tasted from the creamy vanilla and slightly salty flavours of their L’Altro Chardonnay (c. €22) served with samosas, to the sweet plums and cherry pie flavours of the Barbera d’Alba (c. €28) served with Nepalese Momo dumplings.

I had expected the tannins in the Pio Cesare Nebbiolo d’Alba and Barolo to clash a little with the lamb kachela and other dishes that followed but I was wrong as the combination of fruit, spice and acidity in the wines coped admirably with flavours varying from mustard oil to coriander to chilli, garlic and ginger.

So next time you order a curry go for a spice and cherry-flavoured Northern Italian or perhaps a light Malbec instead a six-pack.

Best value under €10

Aviary Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, Chile — €7.99-9.99

Stockists: Carry-Out and Costcutter outlets.

Rosé is always a good match with spicy food, as the initial sweetness melds well with the rich flavours and the chilled wine refreshes the palate. This good value rosé from Chile has an initial hit of strawberry and raspberry fruit with a dry, clean fruity finish.

Aviary Malbec, Chile — €7.99-9.99

Stockists: Carry-Out and Costcutter outlets.

The dark and fruity flavours of Malbec are usually a good bet with spices provided they are not too tannic. This is from the Colchagua valley which likes Malbec and has ripe sweet cherry aromas and a similarly soft blackberry fruit palate and finish. Fine value for the price.

Aldi Exquisite Collection Malbec, Argentina — €8.49

Stockist: Aldi

Juicy entry-level Malbecs that are relatively low in tannins like this one, bring out the aromatics in Indian food and I like the plums and slightly smoky finish in Aldi’s new Malbec — this worked very well with an aubergine based vegetable curry I cooked recently.

Best value under €20

Pio Cesare Dolcetta d’Alba, Piedmont — €19.99-€20.99

Stockists: Widely Available

Dolcetto is something of a lowly squire in the kingdom of Piedmont, overshadowed by the splendours of King Nebbiolo and Queen Barbera. However I love the bright cherry and dusky liquorice flavours that you find in classical examples like this one and I like to serve it a little cooler to bring out the fruit.

Arele Parziale Appassimento, Venteo — €17.99-18.99

Stockists: Cork: O’Donovans, Kerry: O’Driscolls Cahirsiveen, Clare: Next Door Kilkee

Appassimento is the name of the drying process used for drying grapes for Amarone and Ripasso and Arele is the name of the wooden trays used in the process. This is aromatic and rich with a distinct dried fruit aroma and flavours of bitter-sweet cherries and plums perfect with rich meat curries.

Masi Campofiorin Ripasso, Veneto — €17.49-18.99

Stockists: Widely Available

This was the first ripasso style wine and includes a portion of dried grapes fermented with fresh grapes (other version use fresh grapes flavoured with Amarone lees). This has less dried fruit aromas than the Arele but they do come through on the palate with fleshy cherries and a hint of prunes.