Channa masala — doesn’t really scream wine-friendly, does it? Utter the words risotto ai funghi, for example, or chateaubriand, and images of bottles start dancing in your head. Some of the reason for this is cultural prejudice: India isn’t a wine-producing country in the traditional sense. (It is now, but it ain’t France yet, either…) And as is the case with so many others like it — Cambodia, Russia, Ghana, etc. — most of us don’t typically associate the foods of these places with wine-pairability. A cold lager with Cambodian ka tieu is one of the great pleasures of the table, for example, but it’s a combination that most of us never really think to move beyond. The many cuisines of India suffer the same fate: So many of the subcontinent’s emblematic dishes match so seamlessly with beer — or lassi or chai — that popping a cork alongside them isn’t the first thought to occur to people as they tear into their naan. But even the spiciest Indian dishes have the potential to work well with wine.

From champagne and prosecco to riesling and gewurztraminer, there are any number of wine-pairing options for your next Indian dinner. But this one, this week’s unexpectedly miraculous combination, came about almost by mistake. Last Friday my goddess of a wife volunteered to take care of our 10-week-old daughter for the night, so that my friend Ryan could come over to pop a few corks and blow off some steam. And while the bottles of pinot we opened showed beautifully–the Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve 2007 and the Penner Ash Bethel Heights Vineyard South Block 2006 bracketed the Willamette Valley’s potential for excitingly divergent stylistic expressions of the grape — it was the humble vin jaune that stole the show. For those who haven’t tasted it before, vin jaune, the famous “yellow wine” of France’s Jura region, is the grape juice equivalent of brussels sprouts: An acquired taste that, once you fall for it, is hard to get out of your mind. It’s a delicately oxidized, nutty wonder.

This particular bottle, the Alain Labet Vin Jaune 1998 from the Cotes du Jura, had been brought back to the States in the luggage of a friend of Ryan’s. He’d already drunk most of the bottle earlier in the night, but had saved me a glass. best fruity sweet white wineIn addition to the expected walnut-like notes, this wine also sang with a hint of something almost minty. best wine subscription clubsWhich, I think, was the key to its success with the channa masala he had also brought along.what's the best wine to have with pizza The vin jaune highlighted to nuttiness of the chickpeas. wine in ny grocery stores

The almost citric note of the coriander danced with the acid in the wine, and the spicy heat of the masala brought out a vague honeyed sweetness in the wine that was completely unapparent when sipped on its own.food and wine best chef 2014 More important than the success of this particular pairing, however, is what it stood for, and the lesson it embodied: Just because a dish or an entire national culinary tradition may not be associated with wine doesn’t mean that it’s not capable of some seriously rewarding pairings. buy large format wine onlineYou just have to be willing to think and drink outside of the tight little box of food orthodoxy that we all tend to live inside. Once you do that, the options, and surprises, are limitless. Got a favorite wine to drink with Indian food? Let us know in the comments.

More from Your Daily Wine:Step 1Mix Like a Bartender The Violet Hour's Eden Laurin—the managing partner of the Chicago cocktail bar that the most serious of drinkers make pilgrimage to—shares her tips on shaking and stirring and offers up two of her cocktail standards.by Heather Furlow 1. Shake 'em up: "At Violet Hour, newcomers practice shaking for six hours; The rules: Don't shake your shaker so much that the drink turns into slush. Go slow if it's got egg whites in it; if you have lemon and want to get the oil out of the peel, shake it hard."2. Start with the cheap stuff: "Because if you mess up, then you don't lose as much money. Let's say you're making a mojito—you'd put in the mint, then simple syrup, then citrus, and then booze. If you knock it over or get distracted, it'll always be the same flow."3. Do it your damn self: "Create flavors naturally. You can buy a pint of blackberries, for instance, and cook them down to make a syrup. It's going to be cheaper and it's going to taste better than buying some fancy stuff at the store."

4. Get all mixed up: "If you want to be able to put on the show of shaking the drink, go ahead and mix your spirits and sweetener in a pre-batch. And then when you're ready to serve, all you have to do is add your citrus, add your mix, and shake it up."5. Stay cool: "Professional bartenders tend to avoid eye contact because we know the person is waiting. If you've got someone impatiently waiting, look up and say, 'Oh, man, this'll be a second, but it's going to taste so good!'"Now, put your skills to the test with these custom... Step 2Build the Ultimate Home BarNow that you've got the obligatory brass bar cart, you need to know what to put on it. 1. THE BOOZEBe prepared: Buy a bottle each of vodka, gin, rum, whiskey (some suggestions: Stoli Elit vodka, Brugal Rum, Farmer's Gin, and Basil Hayden's bourbon whiskey), and tequila, as well as dry and sweet vermouths from Dolin, Cointreau, and Campari.2. THE MIXERSStock your standard mixers (see: Q tonic), and branch out with a new fave: SpikedSeltzer grapefruit.3.

THE BITTERSStart with Angostura and then go wild with Bitter Tears' KiKi, made with lavender and ginger. 4. THE TOOLSCocktail Kingdom makes it easy to shake and stir with exhaustive sets designed for each task. 5. THE GLASSESStrain your drink into a vessel worthy of its splendor. West Elm's set covers the basics: martini, coupe, snifter, Collins, and rocks glasses.6. FOR THE LAZY GIRLThrow it all out the window in a pinch with bottles that are ready as is, like Austin Cocktails' vodka-based Paradise Found, made with basil, coconut water, and agave, or French aperitif Lillet Blanc.Step 3Throw a Party You'll Actually Enjoy*Hosting* a party isn't always as fun as the party itself. Enter Nicole Williams of Made Real Vodka (created for, as she describes them, "great occasions to inspire, connect, collaborate"). Who better to troubleshoot your next bash?  Step 4Know Your WhiskeyA primer from Heather Daines, Jim Beam's group manager of product development."Whiskey is made from the same ingredients as beer, distilled to a higher proof, then aged in a charred barrel."

"If you like dry wine, go for older whiskey. Straight bourbon whiskey is aged at least two years." How to Order It. "Neat; and up (shaken or stirred over ice, strained, and served in a martini glass)." Step 5Try These Margarita Alternatives**Summer means you can expect glasses full of sweet, sticky, lime-colored margs at every bar, BBQ, and house party. Here, the women behind two of the biggest agave-distilling brands (Bertha González Nieves, CEO of Tequila Casa Dragones and the world's first female Maestra Tequilera, and Jenna Fagnan, president of Tequila Avión) help set you apart. Step 6Find Your Perfect BeerFact: Beer is awesome. Use this guide, crafted with Meg Gill, the L.A.-based cofounder of Golden Road Brewing, to find the right one for you. Step 7Meet the Brew MastersThe ladies of the craft beer revolution = your new career inspo. Step 8Somm It UpTalk about wine like you actually know what you're talking about with Katie Delaney Owen, wine director of WINC's cool-kid wine-subscription service, Club W. 

At the store:READ THE LABELS. "Pay less attention to the year," cautions Owen. "2010 might be a great vintage in Napa and a terrible vintage somewhere else." Instead, look to the region. Anything in Europe is considered Old World, and anything outside it, New World. New World wines are known for being bigger, bolder, a bit sweeter, and oftentimes made from riper fruit. Old World wines are lighter-bodied and can be lower in alcohol content. At home:POUR IT UP, POUR IT UP. "I count when I'm pouring," Owen says. "Do a five- to six-second pour. A normal glass is five ounces."At a restaurant:OPPOSITES (MOSTLY) ATTRACT. Owen's number-one rule: Pairing wine works best when food and wine flavors are either complementing or opposing each other. "Wine with a little sweetness goes well with spicy food," she says. "On the other hand, you might have a buttery lobster dish that goes really well with a buttery chardonnay."Delaney's Chill-Out Mini-Guide:Champagne and sparkling wine should be kept very, very cold.

Fun fact: Opening the bottle is easier when it's cold.Lighter whites, like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, should be chilled. "Those are the kind of wines where you want to ask for an ice bucket at a restaurant," says Delaney.Fuller-bodied whites, like Grenache Blanc or Chardonnay, should be chilled before drinking, but letting them warm up in the glass or the bottle can really open up the flavors.Most reds will be served at room temperature, though some people love light reds slightly chilled. Step 9Pair Like a ProJune Rodil, beverage director at some of the coolest restaurants in Austin, on what food goes with your booze. Step 10Rosé the Right WayOver a dozen MC staffers, with the BFFs behind Yes Way Rosé, taste-tested some of the most popular and new-to-market bottles. Step 11Meet the "It" Bar OwnersThese four women, who head some of our fave places to chill right now, mix stellar drinks, too. Step 12Follow the Bar CodeWe tapped Ivy Mix (co-owner of Brooklyn mezcal bar Leyenda) for a quick lesson in bar-tiquette.