Today was national donut day, and while we didn’t get any questions about donuts, we did have a few other interesting inquiries.

What wine do I serve with Tikka Masala? – Man In The Kitchen

Spicy dishes are generally not easy to pair due to their tendency to over power a wine.   For Asian spicy, the general answer is usually white, typically a Gewurtraminer (the spicy white) or a dry / semi dry riesling.  Other possibilities are green tangy whites, like pinot grigio, and in lighter Indian fare than Tikka Masala, Vinho Verde.  If you absolutely must drink red,  Beaujolais, a New York Pinot Nior, or a light Rioja are your best bets

Remember, the hotter it gets, the harder it is to match wine.  Head for beer for things like Buffalo Chicken Wings, it has less alcohol so the burn will spread lower.

How to close red wine once the cork is popped? – Search

You mean there’s wine left over?  How can that be!?

In all seriousness, there are a few things that you can do to keep out the big 3 things that will spoil the wine,  Air, Heat, Light

The cheap solution is to put the cork back in.   This is fairly reasonable if you keep the wine out of the sun, and in a reasonably cool place. It should stay half a week at least.

To get more longevity, look into a wine preserver to get the air out of the bottle.  This one comes from Metrokane, the folks that make Rabbit (although there are others out there).  It will allow you to pump the air out of the bottle, in theory making your wine last longer.

That’s all for this week, keep trying wine!

Got more questions, send them in or leave a comment!