In case you’ve by no means had a steaming bowl of kimchi jjigae alongside a glass of crisp, skin-contact Pinot Gris, you’re lacking out. Pairing wine with spicy, funky, and boldly flavored meals isn’t a problem a lot as an journey, says Cha McCoy, writer of Wine Pairing for the Folks.
“The unapologetically seasoned, spiced, and generally spicy meals of the world exterior Europe are lengthy overdue for wine pairings that match their complexity, vibrancy, and cultural relevance,” McCoy writes. In her e book, and in our dialog in Imbibe’s November/December 2025 subject, McCoy shares suggestions for choosing wines that deliver out the very best in vibrant dishes from throughout the globe.
In any pairing, stability is vital. The unsuitable wine can both overpower a meal or fairly actually get misplaced within the sauce. Right here’s what McCoy and different professionals counsel.
Tailor Your Strategy
Predilections for warmth and funk are private. What one particular person considers delicate could be red-hot to others or vice versa. McCoy recommends approaching wine pairings with these nuances in thoughts.
As an example, wine textbooks are likely to suggest pairing off-dry Rieslings and Chenin Blancs with spicy meals. The considering is that the wines’ residual sugars counter the piquancy of what’s on the plate.
However individuals who admire fairly than tolerate spiciness may not wish to masks the warmth a lot as complement and even heighten it, McCoy says: “Personally, I don’t like dimming warmth—I like having fun with it.”
Tailor your method to what you want and the way a lot you wish to spotlight or distinction with what’s in your plate.
Search for Unoaked White and Rosé Wines
In case you lean towards white and rosé wines, search for unoaked choices with low alcohol and excessive acidity. Whereas the latter can play up the warmth in already-spicy dishes, it additionally cuts by means of richness and enhances the tang or funk of vinaigrettes or something made with fermented elements.
“You need the wine to match the acidity of the dish,” says Jake Bennie, the wine director of Proxi and Sepia eating places in Chicago. “When you’ve got a spicy pickled cucumber salad with chili oil, soy, chive, and rice wine vinegar, think about an unoaked, light-bodied white wine with elevated acidity like Sauvignon Blanc, dry or off-dry Riesling, or Chenin Blanc.”
The reverse is true, too. “A grape with average to low acidity like Marsanne, Viognier, Arneis, even Gewürztraminer will probably be problematic as they are going to come off flabby given the excessive acidity of the French dressing,” Bennie says.
To stability warmth in addition to richness, go for rosé and white wines which have numerous vibrant, fruity flavors. That’s what Jeffrey Gold, wine director at Adda in New York Metropolis, suggests when visitors order the restaurant’s signature Butter Rooster Expertise. The dish contains a heritage hen, smoked tomatoes, daal, and a sauce enriched with cashews and butter, and “the precision of the acidity with the mineral drive layered across the flesh of optimally ripe Chenin permits [the wine] to drive by means of the burden of the sauce,” Gold says.
Search for Fruity, Low-Alcohol Pink Wines
Pink wines are likely to have increased alcohol and extra perceptible tannins than white or rosé choices, which impacts which meals they pair with and why. Search for fruity, low-alcohol pink wines with ample acidity and delicate tannins—just about any pink wine that you just may serve with a chill will work.
In case your meal is spicy or particularly pungent, most sommeliers suggest steering clear of huge, daring pink wines with sky-high ABVs as a result of alcohol content material amplifies the notion of warmth and bitterness in a dish. “Selecting wines with a decrease alcohol proportion helps rather a lot,” says Tyler Blair, the wine steward and sommelier for Khâluna restaurant in Minneapolis.
Equally, pairing spicy and funky meals with very tannic wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo can flatten the flavors of what’s in your glass and in your plate. As an alternative, search for fruit-forward pink wines with average alcohol and minimal tannins. Varieties that usually match this description embrace Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Grenache.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, both. “Nice wines comprise layers of depth and complexity, as does nice delicacies,” Gold says. Let the adventures start.