My partner’s parents are both from Jamaica, so jerk chicken is a popular dish in our house. Jerk chicken is very flavourful and especially spicy. Pairing spicy food and wine is actually pretty simple and easy to remember. Just pick a sweet white wine. My go-to is an off-dry Riesling. A sweet Riesling with low alcohol served chilled will help to counteract the spiciness and calm the burning sensation. As someone that did not grow up with spicy food, I guzzle down the Riesling with my jerk chicken!

I unfortunately don’t have a recipe for jerk chicken, as my favourite is a pre-seasoned  from Sanagan’s Meat Locker. But I do have a great wine pairing for you! My favourite wine to pair with jerk chicken is the Pelee Island Time Riesling. This wine checks off all the boxes for spicy food and could not be more on the Caribbean theme! The Pelee Island Time Riesling is dry, light bodied and has the hint of sweetness needed for the jerk chicken. If you can’t find the Pelee Island Time Riesling some other great options are the Sandbanks Riesling, Cave Spring Riesling or 20 Bees Riesling. Just remember, to beat the heat of that Jamaican jerk chicken, you want a big glass of sweet white wine served chilled.

Cheers!~GDW