Last night the my entire immediate family came over for dinner at our house. My wife and I made halibut with a creamy Indian curry sauce, sautéed sugar snap peas with mint, and a baby spinach salad with a vinaigrette dressing, goat cheese and hazelnuts. Fantastic dinner!

A common wine question people have is what to serve with spicy foods. Fellow Tavola Rosso blogger and sommelier, Emily recommends Gewurztraminer with Thai food. A good quality Riesling could work as well. Our dish was a little more complex because it was simply a spicy dish, because the halibut had a nice mildness to it. So what goes well with fish and spice? Our answer was the 2007 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine had enough crispness and minerality to stand up to the curry spice and enough fruit and oak hints to complement the fish. I have seen Whitehall Lane as a consistent top producer of Napa Cabs, but never sprang for it at the store or restaurant menu. But when I saw this bottle for $18 I figured it had to be good quality. And quality it was.