What’s a Good Kulfi Wine?

An Indian dessert would not normally be paired with wine because the intense sweetness is not compatible with most wines. But in this case, the match is perfect.

The dessert is the Indian-style ice cream, kulfi. As served at India’s Oven in West Los Angeles, it’s mellow with ground pistachios and topped with mango puree. Because it is richly creamy rather than sharp and icy, it marries smoothly with wine. The mango adds fruitiness that links to the wine.

Matching it beautifully is a 1995 late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Curtis Winery in Solvang. The wine is sweet because the grapes developed Botrytis cinerea, the so-called noble rot that results in concentrated sugar. Kate Firestone, Curtis operations manager, describes the grapes at the time of picking as “part raisin and part very, very ripe fruit.” The sugar content at harvest was 32%, and the wine’s residual sugar is 7.9%.

The grapes were trod by foot in bins and the must was allowed to stand in the bins 24 hours. The wine was pressed off, fermented and aged four months in small oak barrels.

Only about 200 cases were made. “It’s a sort of a one-of-a-kind thing,” says Firestone. Although the wine is sweet, it is not cloying. “It has a nice crisp sweetness that is a good match to food,” she comments.

(It should be noted that John Kerr was the winemaker responsible for this wine. Kerr is no longer with Curtis, which will be moved to a new location on Foxen Canyon Road by the end of the year.)

The grapes came from St. Jude vineyard in the northern Santa Ynez Valley. “In 1995, we had an incredible crop of botrytis,” Firestone says. “Last year, we had no botrytis; this year, a medium crop.”

That makes this Sauvignon Blanc a rare product, perfect to serve with kulfi on a special occasion, such as India’s Festival of Lights, Diwali, on Thursday.

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Note: Although a limited amount of Curtis’ 1995 Sauvignon Blanc was made, the wine is still available. Much of it is sold through the winery tasting room. For information, call Curtis at (805) 688-3940.

INDIA’S OVEN PISTACHIO KULFI

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 quart whipping cream

1/4 pound ground pistachios

1 splash rose water or kevda (kewra) water, optional

1 large fresh mango or canned mango pulp

Combine condensed milk, whipping cream and pistachios in blender. Add rose water, if desired. Blend until smooth (nuts will remain in tiny bits). Pour into 4-ounce custard cups or other small molds and freeze until firm, 4 to 5 hours.

At serving time, peel mango, cut into chunks and puree in blender. If using canned mango pulp, puree in blender until smooth. Turn kulfi out of cups to individual dessert plates, using sharp small knife to loosen. Top each with 1 tablespoon mango puree.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

248 calories; 56 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.19 gram fiber.

* Vietri pottery plates from Pottery Shack, Laguna Beach.