This past week we were fortunate to attend a wonderful wine pairing dinner at G’Raj Mahal. I had sadly not visited the restaurant since it moved into it’s brick and mortar location on Rainey Street, but I had been a fan of the food truck from the beginning. Aromatic whites are some of my favorites, so I jumped on the chance to experience the seven course menu paired with wines chosen from the Southern Glazer’s portfolio. The event staff at G’Raj Mahal did a wonderful job setting up a communal experience on their patio, thankfully equipped with mister fans in the Texas summer.
A pre-dinner reception began with pours of Domaine du Petit Coteau Vouvray, a delicious sparkling Vouvray from the Loire Valley. The nose featured notes of ripe green apple and tart lemon which was confirmed on the palate. Fine bubbles and a mild bready character made for a lovely sparkler to start the meal. They paired this with slices of fruit and nut stuffed naan served alongside a kashmiri sauce. The sauce was a pretty pale green, cream based and filled with bits of apple, cashews and raisins. The dried and fresh fruit flavors of the naan and sauce paired beautifully with the fruity and yeasty notes of the wine. We were able to meet our table companions during this course and to my surprise, seated across from me was a friend from medical school who I had not seen in 19 years!
Our next wine took us to the Campania region of Italy with a simply gorgeous Falanghina by Vesevo. The 2015 Vesevo Falanghina Beneventano IGT smelled as if you were holding a fresh bouquet of white flowers right below your nose. Falanghina is an ancient varietal that thrives on the volcanic soils of Campania in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. It is known for it’s floral character and minerality. The honeysuckle on the nose was joined by honeydew melon, and the palate incorporated both of these plus lemon, minerality and finished with a bit of tartness. The pairing for this aromatic wine was their shrimp biryani, a spicy rice and shrimp dish that they served with a bit of pineapple and mint to pull in the fruit flavors and cool down some of the heat of the dish. Aside from the opener and the dessert, there was no lack of spice in any of the dishes, but the pairings and accompaniments helped to cool the palate a bit.
I simply can’t resist a good Riesling, so our third pairing was one of my favorites. A 2014 “Jean Baptiste” Gunderloch Riesling from the Rheinhessen region was paired with a spicy lamb malabar. Riesling tends to be a perfect match for spicy food such as Thai and Indian foods due to the high acidity, often lower alcohol levels, and depending on the wine, a touch of sweetness. This Riesling had the slightest bit of residual sugar, but it was perfectly balanced with acid and minerality. Stone fruit and flint were on the palate and these flavors perfectly complemented the spicy sauce of the lamb malabar. The body was enough to stand up to the meaty base of the dish. This was one of our favorite tastes of the evening and we were able to buy a bottle to bring home.
Our next pairing was a great example of simple with simple. I love a white burgundy with a simple roasted chicken. One can imagine hanging out in the Burgundy hills with a local chardonnay and a classic French country dinner. The aloo methi was described to us as “Indian soul food” with a base of greens, lentils and potatoes. Simple and hearty, but again with generous spice, it paired very well with a classic Bourgogne Blanc from Mongeard-Mugneret. A classic, clean, crisp chardonnay from the Savigny le Beaune AOP in Burgundy, this wine opened with notes of tart green apple and some slight funky, earthy notes, perhaps a bit of sulfur. The palate was crisp and clean, but I detected a bit of creaminess likely from malolactic fermentation. The crisp acidity helped to calm the spiciness of the dish and the earthy notes of both the wine and the greens complemented each other nicely.
A California Chenin Blanc with a mushroom masala came next, and by this point, all of the guests were having to moderate their intake simply due to the sheer amount of food and wine. The last two wines were standouts, one for its uniqueness and the last for its quality.
The Botani Moscatel from Malaga was the unique, interesting and delicious wine that paired with the hottest dish of the evening. Malaga is located on the southern coast of Spain, not far from North Africa. Moscatel can be found in many places in the Mediterranean, notably in Italy where it produces the famous sparkling Asti wines, and also in southwestern France where it produces quality sweet wines known as vin doux naturale. Quality wines are often made from the Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains variety of the grape. A “lesser” cousin is the Muscat of Alexandria grape, which is more often used to produce table wines. We found this wine from Muscat of Alexandria to be lovely, with the characteristic floral nose that burst from the glass with honeysuckle and cotton candy! This wine was fully dry, and the palate might have tricked you into thinking you were drinking an entirely different wine than you had just smelled. It was a crisp wine with honeysuckle and lime on the palate and a volcanic minerality. They served this with a fish rechaad, a white fish filet simply cooked, but coated in a super spicy sauce made of ghost peppers and fragrant spices served along coconut cakes that pretended to cool the heat. While the dish was spicy as all get out, the wine was somehow not overwhelmed by the spice and held up with its acidity and impressive florality. Despite not being able to even come close to finishing the dish due to the heat level, I thought this was perhaps the most successful pairing aside from the riesling and the lamb.
Lastly, we finished the night with sweets and quality sparkles. Puffy Indian beignets sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with honey were served with Louis Roederer Non Vintage Brut Premier. Roederer is a renowned Champagne house that also produces Cristal. This much more affordable bottle was delicious…the nose itself was almost dessert with creme brulee, apple pie and biscuity notes. Ripe yellow apples, a full body and biscuits on the palate made for a stellar way to end the evening with our Indian sweets.
