Curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry with the cheerful and expressive fruitiness of a Sardinian red wine

After making dinner for the family by stir-frying bell peppers, eggplant, and ground pork, I make an adult version by replacing the pork with canned mackerel and adding plenty of spices. Curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry.

To make it an adult-flavored snack for drinks, I have to shake the frying pan twice, but I manage with a love for wine and enthusiasm. When it's a hassle, I set aside the children's portion before the final step, and then add seasonings like chili peppers, spices, garlic, anchovies, or herbs to the adult portion to finish it off. However, when changing the ingredients from meat to fish as I did this time, that doesn't work as well. If you want to quickly enjoy mackerel and spices, I recommend this canned version.

For spices, I use plenty of curry powder and spicy oil. I make use of spices like this (I had refilled the curry powder container with a spicy type).

Drizzling spicy oil over the dish at the end makes it look like a work by an up-and-coming artist lol

The flavor of mackerel is powerful, so it doesn't get lost even when combined with spices. Even so, the flavor that reaches the taste buds without being defeated by the rough waves of spices is the exquisite umami of the best mackerel. I love the way the mackerel flavor pushes forward against the taste buds, undeterred even when whipped by the spiciness. To enjoy this, I intentionally make it quite spicy and sadistic.

I paired the combination of mackerel umami and the Indian-style, stimulating, bewitching spices with a Spanish Cava and an Italian Sardinian red wine (Cannonau variety).

I predicted that both wines, with their powerful fruitiness and spicy hints that stimulate the nasal cavity, would likely be a good match. And they performed even better than expected. The producer of the Sardinian red wine is Pala (appearing in the Note below). I bought the red wine because I liked their white wine (Vermentino variety). The cheerful and expressive fruitiness of this red wine, along with its hints of spice, showed an excellent affinity with the curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry.

Now, for the details on the compatibility of the curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry with each wine.

Pala, Centosere, Cannonau, Italy, Sardegna, 2021, 14%, 2,189 yen
Pala, Centosere Cannonau, Sardegna, Italy

Pala was founded in 1950. They use grapes with an average age of 35 years from clay-limestone soil vineyards located 150-180m above sea level. The name Centosere means 'hundreds of nights.' It's somewhat romantic.
The aroma includes ripe American cherries, wild strawberries, and dried roses. There is a vegetal nuance, perhaps from whole-cluster fermentation. It has black pepper spice, mint, and bitter nuances of dark chocolate.
The taste is fresh yet powerful with high-toned fruitiness. The high alcohol makes the throat feel a little warm. It has high-pitched acidity and bitterness from the mid-palate through to the finish. The tannins are smooth and persistent.

Pairing the wine with the curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry. When the wine is added, the cumin in the curry powder, which was quiet, reacts and rises up all at once. From there, it connects to the mackerel's fat and umami, and in the finish, the mackerel flavor rises like it's swimming over, encouraged by the wine's smooth and powerful fruitiness. The powerful but not excessive fruitiness makes for an excellent match. Compatibility: ★★★★★

Anne Marie, Comtesse Cava, Brut Nature, Reserva, NV, Castell D'Age, Spain, 12%, 2,266 yen
Anne Marie, Comtesse, Cava, Brut Nature, Reserva, Castell D'Age, Spain

Uses biodynamically grown grapes from near Barcelona. Slowly pressed, fermented in stainless steel tanks, and after 24 months of secondary fermentation in the bottle, it is bottled as non-dosage.
The aroma has apple jam, vanilla, white pepper, a faint vegetal nuance of dried straw, and mineral nuances of seaweed. White flowers and acacia, with a thick yet elegant composition.
The taste is fresh and juicy fruitiness. The fine bubbles feel pleasant on the tongue. It has sharp acidity, and the finish is rich in bitterness and mineral nuances, making for an elegant and dry finish.

With the curry-flavored mackerel and vegetable stir-fry. When the wine is added, the aroma of the curry powder, especially the cumin, rises powerfully. The compatibility between this wine and the Indian-style spices is overwhelming. The momentum synchronizes with the mackerel's fat as well. Compatibility: ★★★★☆