Beyond Bordeaux - to India
We're taking you with us on an exotic adventure. Bordeaux is amazingly cosmopolitan, thanks in large part to its history as a vibrant port. History doesn't stand still, Bordeaux continues to welcome people from all over the world. And some of them stay. Bordeaux wine is also welcoming to international cuisine, it's amazingly versatile and pairs with all styles of dishes.
A passage to India
India is an enormous subcontinent with a huge diversity of food styles, a lot of which are veggie based. We were excited about the challenges of pairing Bordeaux wines with these cuisines with use of spices, not always hot, but definitely flavourful. We called on experts to help us with these Indian dishes and pairings.
Vidya Narasimhan
Sally sat down with London-based wine consultant Vidya to talk to her about her favourite South Asian foods and her suggestions for wine pairings along with some general rules to follow.
Originally from Chennai (South India) Vidya has lived all over, India and the US, mainly in New York. She shares her broad experience of Indian food and wine pairing with Sally here .
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Wendy has a few ideas too, always a fan of sweet Bordeaux, she suggests, trying them with spicy food and these Indian recipes are perfect. Vidya likes the spice but for western palates the sweetness can cool that spice down a little.
Charulata Kohli
Charulata is a British-Indian with a deep passion for both food and wine, holding WSET Level 3 certification. Based in London, her love for wine was sparked in Bordeaux where she studied PR & Communications and worked at a local food and wine PR firm with Wendy. Now a Senior Production Manager in sports television for over 25 years, Charulata's role can take her around the globe, and back to her roots in India. She has kindly shared some of her favourite family recipes along with suggested wine pairings.
You can also find Charulata's delicious Kulfi recipe featured in summer recipes. And Corn Sabzi would be delicious with a Château de Cérons - it's even the right colour !
​Brinda & Laurent
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We’re not the only ones that think Bordeaux wines and Indian cuisine can be perfectly paired. Since 2022, Laurent Moujon and Brinda Bourhis have been going to India with French wine producers hosting wine dinners, highlighting the delicious pairing of Indian cuisine with Bordeaux wines.
Their book ‘Pairing Wines with Indian Cuisine’ (4th edition is planned for December 2025) brings together 67 Indian recipes by 16 Indian chefs in England, India & USA paired with 40 different Bordeaux wines. We’ve shared one of their recipes, lemon rice.