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There is no such thing as a perfect curry wine because there are so many different types of curry dish. However, fruity wines tend to work best, and Canarian wines are jam-packed with fruit.
White wines
Most unoaked Canarian whites are crisp and fruity and work well with curry dishes. Any Malvasia from Lanzarote, think El Grifo, Yaiza or Vega de Yuco, will complement a mild or medium creamy curry. La Palma's La Gota and Teneguía wines also have the aromatic fruit to balance out mild curries, as does the lovely Tajinaste from Tenerife.
For curries made with tomato-based sauces, you need something slightly more acidic so look out for wines made with the diego or verijadiego grapes (Gran Canaria's Las Tirajanas bodega does a great one with a blue label).
If you like your curry hot, then opt for a slightly sweet wine as the chili heat lessens the sweetness; look for afrutado or semiseco written on the label. The blue bottles of Frontera wine from El Hierro are excellent; pineapply with enough sugar to work with hot curry.
For delicate Indian dishes, such as a fish curry, opt for a wine with floral hints like the superb Agala 1318 from Gran Canaria (not cheap at 14 euros per bottle), the Vega de Yuco from Lanzarote, or the Flor de Chasna from Tenerife.
Red wines
You want fresh young wines with a fruity taste and not to much tannin so avoid anything that's ben sitting in an oak barrel (oaked wines say barrica on the label).
Tenerife's excellent young carbonic maceration wines are superb with curry. Look out for the award winning Viña Norte maceración carbónica (about 7 euros in the shops).
In Gran Canaria, the widely available Las Tirajanas tinto is light and has enough blackberry fruit to handle mild curries, although a richer red like Mondalón works better with spicier dishes.
Rosé wines
If you like rosé and you like curry, then look no further than the Cumbrs de Abona roses from Tenerife. Packed with fruit and with a little natural sweetness, they are ultimate pink wine to go with spicy food.
Want to know more about Canarian wine? Or have you found a great Canarian wine and can't wait to tell someone about it? Join our Canary Islands Wine Facebook Group where we share tasting notes for every local bottle we try.
