When Shekar Sathyanarayana, founder of Nalla, began visiting wineries in Santa Barbara and talked about Indian food, winemakers loved the food, but had never paired it with wine. Now, Nalla has brought Indian food and wine pairing to over 100 events hosted at wineries and other venues and Shekar shares what he has learned about match Indian food and wine. Detailed Show Notes: Shekar’s background: 1st generation South Indian, grew up in Kansas, was a talent agent and lawyer Nalla founding Started as Indian food gatherings (2016) to explore different Indian cuisinesShekar knew nothing about wine, started driving to Santa Barbara wine country and learningWineries said they’d never paired wine and Indian cuisine beforeNalla experiences, officially launched 2023 Where South Asian cuisines and wine industry meet, includes culture (live music, dance, decor - e.g. - Thali plates, plates with small bowls in them)Done 100+ events at wineries and 3rd party venues1st winery partner was Brecon Estate in Paso Robles, learned Albarino and samosas work well togetherDoes 4 entrees, each from a different region, coursed w/ 2 wine glasses side by side, and data captured on preferences~25-50 guests at each eventLarge market opportunity: 2.1B South Asians globally, ~6M in the US; highest household disposable income (~$100k for South Asian, ~$150k for Indians); very food forward and know little about wineIndian wine ~200 wineries in IndiaGrow varieties to sell (e.g. - rose), haven’t figured out what grows best yet2 harvests / yearFocus is educating people about wine, not yet integrated w/ food4 components to “spicy” food Capsaicin - the heat in chilis, gives a burning sensation; can be offset by milk/dairy which has casein, a protein that binds to capsaicinAromatics (e.g. - coriander, cumin, cinnamon, clove, cardamon) - no heat, but lots of smell and tasteSichuan pepper - gives a tingle, drying, numbing sensation (not common in Indian food)Piperine - key compound in black pepper, common in South Indian cuisine; can often flatten winesIndian food & wine pairing - match aromatics w/ wine, heat comes second Capsaicin and alcohol make the heat worse, try to stay 14% abv with spicyYounger, tannic reds often fight Indian cuisineWhite wines pair well w/ aromaticsWhen pairing with multiple dishes simultaneously, go back to aromatics, stick w/ whites (e.g. - Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, maybe Chardonnay)When there’s more weight, dairy, can pair with some reds, particularly lighter (Grenache, GSM, Pinots)Creamy tomato based sauce, which alleviates some heat, can go w/ higher alcohol redsAged reds can pair well, as tannins are more resolvedRegional Indian cuisine - 28 states in India, each region has its own cuisine North Indian known for meats (goat, lamb, chicken), dishes have more weightSouth Indian mostly vegetarian (lentils, daal, dosa, sambar), heavier on spices, more heat; sparkling wines work wellCoastal (Kerala, Goa) more fish and seafood~50% of India is vegetarianBengali has heavy mustard paste, Sauv Blanc and Riesling work wellAndhra uses both red and green chilis, makes it hard to pair w/ wineTop 5 Indian dish pairings Chicken Tikka Masala, created by British, not traditional Indian; pairs w/ off dry Riesling, light Pinot, oaked ChardsButter Chicken, chicken cooked in tandoor, more diary and cream, milder spices; Viognier pairs wellSamosas, breaded fried potatoes often w/ chutney (mint-cilantro, tamarind), sparkling pairs well (Cava, Prosecco)Biryani, a very emotional dish for Indians, saffron rice, chunks of meat or vegetarian, highest degree of aromatic complexity; Rose pairs wellSaag Paneer, spinach and cheese, cream, ginger, and garlic; Sauvignon Blanc, herbaceousness pairs well, acid helps Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
