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Good Wine: Rewriting the wine with food rule book for global cuisine

A few "Good Wine" readers will remember when dinner with wine meant French: French cuisine, prepared by French chefs served with French wine: "Oysters with Chablis, duck with Burgundy," the French rule book of wine and food instructed. "Lamb with Bordeaux …" and diners obeyed. It was so easy.

French restaurants are still found throughout Chicagoland. But recent "best dining" lists prove that Chicagoland's food scene offers a world of cuisine - Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian and many more that developed absent of wine.

To satisfy our new global palate, we need a new rule book of wine and food.

An exciting laboratory to experiment with global flavors is Vermillion in Chicago where proprietor Rohini Dey offers wines carefully selected to pair with her unique fusion of Indian and Latin cuisine.

In general, Dey avoids high alcohol which combusts against spicy dishes. She recommends rich fruit and plush tannin, especially in the wines of Spain and Latin America, to calm fiery spice. Dey also recommends wines with direct acidity to weave through rich sauces.

Specifically, Dey recommends Sauvignon Blanc as a white starter. The grape's combination of herbs and tropical fruit flavors find a common denominator with Cilantro Tamarind Paneer and Curry Leaf Crisp Calamari at Vermilion and with Enchiladas Mole Verde, Gravlax (Scandinavian dill cured salmon) and other "green" cuisine at home.

Vermillion offers the opulent Nobilo "Icon" Sauvignon Blanc ($15 per glass/ $60 per bottle) as well as the classic French Sauvignon Blanc, Chateau de Sancerre ($110 per bottle.)

At home, a simple but effective option is 120 Sauvignon Blanc (Chile), widely available, under $10.

Dey offers delicately-sweet wines to pair with sweeter sauces, as well as to protect the palate from chili, peppers and hot ginger.

Vermillion's well-trained staff recommends Gremona "Gessami" ($14 per glass, $56 per bottle), a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Gewürztraminer with alluring white flower aromas and succulent off-dry flavors, with Toasted Coconut Shrimp with Lychee-Jalapeno Salsa and with Crisp Kale "gunpowder" dust.

At home, choose Riesling for spicy dishes including Thai and Indian curries, fiery salsa and three-alarm barbecue sauce. See the previous two "Good Wine" columns for recommended Rieslings.

"Red wine with red meat" is a good standard to follow. Red wine's tannin binds with fat and protein, aiding digestion and softening the wine. (For a non-vinous example, notice the difference between coffee - another high-tannin drink - tasted with and without cream.)

But spice ignites against tannin, like a match struck against flint. For richly-spiced red meat, turn to a red with soft tannin.

For Blackened Tamarind Ribs and Lamb Shank Nihari, Vermillion offers Marques de Caceres Rioja Reserva ($16 per glass/ $64 per bottle), with dark fruit and tobacco flavor, reserved for extra aging at the winery to soften tannin.

For a richer sensation with Vermillion's meats, choose Kuyen Syrah ($90 per bottle), a voluptuous giant, with flavors of ripe berries, green spice and smoked meats.

For enjoyment at home, check with your retailer for low-tannin picks. Some of my favorites are imported from Portugal, including Chasing Harvest, Vinho Tinto Douro (about $20) and Prats & Symington Prazo de Roriz, with plush cherry and mulberry flavors and soft tannin (about $15.)

Dey was inspired to meld Latin with Indian cuisine while visiting Mexican food markets. "They are the spitting image of the Indian bazaars I visited as a child, with the same ingredients - tamarind, lychee, mango, chili …"

The restaurant's name reflects this fusion. "Vermillion is the brightest red in Nature," she explains. The color is essential to India, where it symbolizes fertility, as well as Latin America, where it colors ceramics, murals and sarcophagi. To the traditional rules of wine and food, Dey responds, "Who says so? Food is never immune to the influence of new cultures, neither is wine."

As proof, she pours Kunen Syrah and calls for Vermillion Hedonsim, dark chocolate cake with chili and masala orange sorbet. The result is enveloping flavor and caressing texture, altogether hedonistic, a sensation that triggered a whole new chapter in my personal rule book of wine and food.

• Write to Advanced Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator Mary Ross at food@daily herald.com.

Ross' choice

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