Carmenere with your curry?

Wines of Chile has decided to put its money where its mouth is by proving the theory that Carmenère matches well with curry.

The generic body has staged a curry-off at Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Benares, in London, to cement the grape variety’s curry-matching capabilities.

Following the event, in which a number of Chilean wine experts participated, Wines of Chile discovered that the vibrant, spicy and sometimes floral notes found in Carmenère emphasised the aromatic spices of certain types of curry, with a number of tasters determining that Carmenère has a particular affinity with cardamom and cumin.

The tasting featured 39 Carmenère wines alongside a selection of curry dishes created by Benares’ executive chef Jitin Joshi.

The guests who sampled and assessed the food and wine matching included journalists, sommeliers, retail buyers and on-trade distributors, all of whom were encouraged to taste the wines alone as well as with the different curries to determine Carmenère’s potential with the popular UK dish.

Wines of Chile handed out a questionnaire to its guests at the event, which included the question ‘Do you think Carmenère is a good match for curry?’. The collective answer was “a resounding yes” according to the generic body.

Wines of Chile says that it plans on staging further Carmenère and curry events later in the year.

Jane Parkinson, 22.06.2010