It's impossible to resist beginning this epic journey on Zest Lounge, with one of my favourite debates in the culinary world: The pairing of wines with food. Particularly Indian food.

Ah. Indian food, you ask, with wines?

Indeed. And a fine pair they make. The rules though, like for any successful marriage are quite simple and logical. Once you have them mastered, it's quite impossible to go wrong.

Our endeavour should be to focus on the compatibility of the wine with the spices in a dish, rather than the dish itself. So the red-meat-red wine and white-meat-white-wine pairing becomes irrelevant here.

One can classify the range of spices as either subtle, soft or strong. Turmeric, for example, would be subtle; asafoetida, soft, while clove and cinnamon [and the garam masala they comprise] will be classified as strong.

Think for a minute of the ingredients of a dish and analyse the dominant flavour. For instance, onions in do-pyaaza, garlic in lahsooni preparation and so on. If the intensity of the most persistent flavour can be harnessed with a matched wine – the stronger the flavour, the more robust and young the wine – you can be sure of a winner. Remember, the strength should enhance a taste and not kill all others – no wine can match food with flavours that linger a whole week and refuse to dissipate without resorting to drastic measures.

Next, classify the dish by its style of cooking – roasting, frying, broiling or sautéing and the resulting changes of texture and flavour. Take into consideration the accompaniments to the main ingredients: potatoes tone down the spiciness, crisp vegetables add a refreshing touch and gravies can impart an entirely new personality to any dish.

Next, classify the wines, from elegant and light to medium bodied and fruity or robust and full-bodied.

Finally, keep in mind that serving a rich dish with a rich wine may not always produce the best union, as the two may clash in a cacophony of flavours.

Now how difficult was that, really?

Have a look at our special Dum Pukht Habibia Menu that has been paired with a careful selection of wines from our cellars.