Spicy Dressing

White · Light · Off-dry

Washington and Finger Lakes Rieslings split the difference between Mosel delicacy and Alsatian heft — bright stone fruit, modest sweetness, lively acid. A natural with Thai, Indian, and anything off the spice rack.

White · Medium · Dry

Grüner Veltliner or Riesling from Austria — green apple, white pepper, laser acid. Among the most food-friendly whites on earth.

Red · Light · Dry

Gamay-based reds from southern Burgundy — light, fruity, food-friendly. The serious Cru bottlings (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent) drink like Pinot Noir at half the price.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Lychee, rose petal, and a touch of ginger; medium-bodied, low-acid, and unmistakable. The wine for any cuisine where the spice cabinet did the heavy lifting.

Red · Full · Dry

Argentina's signature grape: deep purple, plummy, and remarkably smooth for its weight. Soft tannins and a touch of cocoa make it the dinner-party Cabernet alternative — and far easier on the wallet.

Burgundy's most generous white — rich, buttery, full of stone fruit and toasted nut. The Chardonnay you reach for when Chablis feels too austere.

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Rosé · Light · Dry

Provence's gift to summer — dry, pale, faintly strawberry-and-citrus, with low alcohol and crisp acid. Made to drink cold, with food, in the shade.

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

White · Light · Dry

Marche's quietly excellent white — apple and almond, a faint bitterness on the finish, and unusual ageability for an Italian white. Try the Castelli di Jesi Riserva.

A wine outside our reference catalogue — likely a single-producer or single-vineyard bottling. Open with a small pour to assess body and sweetness, then pair to match its weight.