It can be tricky to pair a wine with spicy food, as strong flavours can easily overpower the wine.

Hot dishes such as chilli or curry can make a wine taste more bitter or less fruity or sweet. They can also increase the burning sensation caused by the alcohol in the wine. So getting it wrong can be an unpleasant experience!

I had ordered a spicy Thai green curry and was wondering what wine would go with it. Traditionally, I look for a well-balanced Riesling or a Gewürztraminer. With these wines, the freshness and slight sweetness balances well with the heat.

However, I fancied a change. I know that reds with strong tannins are best avoided. So what else could I go for? Something a bit different caught my eye: a 2016 Fontanfredda Gavi di Gavi.

The wine is from Piedmont in north west Italy, home to the famous Barolo. It is made from the Cortese grape, which has a naturally high acidity as well as floral aromas.

I tried the wine by itself; it was an outstanding wine with bags of lemon and green apple flavours. With the Thai green curry, its refreshing, flinty acidity cut through the spice, making it a perfect match.

It was so good, I just had to order another bottle! The wine is available to buy online from The DrinkShop for around £15 a bottle.

Which wines do you think work well with spicy food? Email us at paul@thecuriousgrape.co.uk