Bringing Indian food to wine w/ Shekar Sathyanarayana, Nalla

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 cuisines
• Shekar knew nothing about wine, started driving to Santa Barbara wine country and learning
• Wineries said they’d never paired wine and Indian cuisine before

Nalla 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 venues
• 1st winery partner was Brecon Estate in Paso Robles, learned Albarino and samosas work well together
• Does 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 event
• Large 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 wine

Indian wine

• ~200 wineries in India
• Grow varieties to sell (e.g. - rose), haven’t figured out what grows best yet
• 2 harvests / year
• Focus is educating people about wine, not yet integrated w/ food

4 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 capsaicin
• Aromatics (e.g. - coriander, cumin, cinnamon, clove, cardamon) - no heat, but lots of smell and taste
• Sichuan 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 wines

Indian food & wine pairing - match aromatics w/ wine, heat comes second

• Capsaicin and alcohol make the heat worse, try to stay <14% abv with spicy
• Younger, tannic reds often fight Indian cuisine
• White wines pair well w/ aromatics
• When 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 reds
• Aged reds can pair well, as tannins are more resolved

Regional Indian cuisine - 28 states in India, each region has its own cuisine

• North Indian known for meats (goat, lamb, chicken), dishes have more weight
• South Indian mostly vegetarian (lentils, daal, dosa, sambar), heavier on spices, more heat; sparkling wines work well
• Coastal (Kerala, Goa) more fish and seafood
• ~50% of India is vegetarian
• Bengali has heavy mustard paste, Sauv Blanc and Riesling work well
• Andhra uses both red and green chilis, makes it hard to pair w/ wine

Top 5 Indian dish pairings

• Chicken Tikka Masala, created by British, not traditional Indian; pairs w/ off dry Riesling, light Pinot, oaked Chards
• Butter Chicken, chicken cooked in tandoor, more diary and cream, milder spices; Viognier pairs well
• Samosas, 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 well
• Saag Paneer, spinach and cheese, cream, ginger, and garlic; Sauvignon Blanc, herbaceousness pairs well, acid helps

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