My husband and I usually open a bottle of wine once, twice, three times a week, but only if the meal is worthy. At least I thought so...tonight he heard 'Lamb' out of Chai Lamb Chili, and ran for one of his prized bottles of du-Pape, 2003.
Surprisingly it worked! Experts say do not have reds with spicy foods, but if it is an aged red, and there are certain combination's in the right ingredients; then you can pair them perfectly. Many times though it can be risky with the heat of this dish.
The flavor of the lamb combined with the cardamom and cinnamon in the graham masala, and bite of the chili powders were fantastic with the same almost flavors in the wine. I have made this recipe with lamb chops before, but not stewed like this. I also believe the sweetness of the cranberry bread helped cut the spicy chili tone done another notch to create a good wine balance of a berry jam and thick like the chili sauce.
This wine is a GSM blend(Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre).