Kung Fu Girl Riesling

It can be tricky to pair spicy foods with wine. If we're out eating curry or Chinese food, I'll usually go with an imported beer by default. But at home, I like to serve wine. So when I cooked a spicy shrimp dish for a few friends last month, I decided to take a chance on a Riesling, a sweet white wine I historically associate with lobster meals and the kinds of restaurants I thought were fancy in my early dating years, where a shrimp cocktail was the height of sophistication.

But the cute label on the bottle of Kung Fu Girl Riesling caught my eye, and something on the sweet side sounded like a good complement to the creole spice. I found it subtly fruity (with a distinct apricot note), but not cloying at all. What else can I say? It was kick-ass.