Bringing Indian food to wine w/ Shekar Sathyanarayana, Nalla

When Shekar Sathyanarayana, founder of Nalla, began visiting wineries in Santa Barbara and talked about Indian food, winemakers loved the food, but had never paired it with wine. Now, Nalla has brought Indian food and wine pairing to over 100 events hosted at wineries and other venues and Shekar shares what he has learned about match Indian food and wine.

Detailed Show Notes:

Shekar’s background: 1st generation South Indian, grew up in Kansas, was a talent agent and lawyer

Nalla founding

Started as Indian food gatherings (2016) to explore different Indian cuisinesShekar knew nothing about wine, started driving to Santa Barbara wine country and learningWineries said they’d never paired wine and Indian cuisine beforeNalla experiences, officially launched 2023

Where South Asian cuisines and wine industry meet, includes culture (live music, dance, decor - e.g. - Thali plates, plates with small bowls in them)Done 100+ events at wineries and 3rd party venues1st winery partner was Brecon Estate in Paso Robles, learned Albarino and samosas work well togetherDoes 4 entrees, each from a different region, coursed w/ 2 wine glasses side by side, and data captured on preferences~25-50 guests at each eventLarge market opportunity: 2.1B South Asians globally, ~6M in the US; highest household disposable income (~$100k for South Asian, ~$150k for Indians); very food forward and know little about wineIndian wine

~200 wineries in IndiaGrow varieties to sell (e.g. - rose), haven’t figured out what grows best yet2 harvests / yearFocus is educating people about wine, not yet integrated w/ food4 components to “spicy” food

Capsaicin - the heat in chilis, gives a burning sensation; can be offset by milk/dairy which has casein, a protein that binds to capsaicinAromatics (e.g. - coriander, cumin, cinnamon, clove, cardamon) - no heat, but lots of smell and tasteSichuan pepper - gives a tingle, drying, numbing sensation (not common in Indian food)Piperine - key compound in black pepper, common in South Indian cuisine; can often flatten winesIndian food & wine pairing - match aromatics w/ wine, heat comes second

Capsaicin and alcohol make the heat worse, try to stay <14% abv with spicyYounger, tannic reds often fight Indian cuisineWhite wines pair well w/ aromaticsWhen pairing with multiple dishes simultaneously, go back to aromatics, stick w/ whites (e.g. - Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, maybe Chardonnay)When there’s more weight, dairy, can pair with some reds, particularly ligh