Alsatian with serious bite: What do you drink with a big spicy curry?—

The vineyards of Alsace are like the hidden album of an iconic band that deserves greater acclaim. The wines of this sunny French region are as pristine, uplifting and inventive as the tracks on Queen’s Flash Gordon. And just as this cracking soundtrack to the camp 1980 movie weaves seamlessly with the action, so the wines of Alsace thrive when paired with curry.

Alsace wines are all about fruity purity and the more intense examples offset spicy dishes beautifully.  With little use of oak, the whites are an exuberant incarnation of the specific grapes of the region such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Sylvaner and Auxerrois.

You can enjoy these beauties right away, but perhaps the best kept secret of these wines is how well they can age. Last night I sipped 1979 Pinot Gris from the Cellier Inter Professionelle des vins d’Alsace and it was full of life.

Grand Cru vineyards are the top of the tree for serious wine fans, but there are plenty of decent high-street options to match with takeaways from Thai to Chinese and of course, Indian.

I recently harnessed the awesomeness of Alsace wines with a takeaway from Brighton’s superb Chilli Pickle. Gewürztraminer hit the bullseye with the big spicy numbers, but Riesling with poppadums and pickles was spectacular.

And for the nation’s favourite, chicken tikka massala, grab yourself a bottle of Pinot Gris: serve it chilled with your takeaway and stick the soundtrack to Flash Gordon on. It’ll take you to another world.

OLLY’S PICK OF THE BUNCH

CANNY WITH ALL CURRY: Sainsbury’s Alsace Taste The Difference Gewurztraminer 2015 (13%) £8. With its mellow exotic fruity scent, this wine is spot on with your spicy takeaway.

THE TIKKA TICKLER: WM Morrison Pinot Gris 2014 (12.5%) £8.25 Morrisons. Sumptuously rich and scented, this mellow Alsace ace is chicken Tikka’s new best friend.

GALLOPING GOURMET: Grand Cru ‘Brand’ Gewurtztraminer Cave de Turckheim 2011 (13.5 %) £15.95 ndjohn.co.uk Exotic as a lychee wearing a garland of roses, this stunning wine is top class with a gourmet curry.

FLASH BANG WALLOP: Rolly Gassman Silberberg Grand Cru Riesling 2010 (14%) £31 Harvey Nichols. This top drawer dazzling Riesling is a lazer beam worthy of Flash Gordon’s cellar.

WINE OF THE WEEK

Yalumba The Scribbler Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2012 (13.5%) £12.90 slurp.co.uk: Magnificently sleek with a core of stunning deep fruit and plenty of welly, this is Aussie excellence that you need to taste.

This column was originally published in EVENT Magazine, Mail on Sunday 29th January