Waltham wine notes: A delicious shiraz from India — yes, India — at Rassa on Moody Street

This is the first in a regular series of food and wine reports by Waltham residents Lisa Fruitt and Gary Markowitz. The couple write about their globe-trotting wine-tasting adventures on VinoDuo. Their column for The Waltham Times will highlight local restaurants and vendors.

Waltham’s Restaurant Row is a foodie magnet, attracting locals and visitors with cuisine from every corner of the globe. And most boast wine lists with classic offerings from their regions.  So it’s no surprise you’ll find Chianti and pinot grigio at Italian restaurants, assyrtiko and retsina at Greek tavernas, and cabernet and chardonnay at American steak houses and cafes.

But what to drink at an Indian restaurant? Why, Indian wine, of course!

If you didn’t know India even has a wine culture — it dates back to 3000 B.C.E. — join the club. Our introduction to the wines of India came at Rassa, the Indian restaurant which opened in 2024 at 470 Moody St. There, mixed in with the usual suspects of American chardonnay, German riesling and French rosé, we found a shiraz from Sula Vineyards, India’s leading wine producer. 

The 2024 shiraz is a deep, dark, plummy wine. It’s got some black fruit and spice on the nose, smooth berries on the palate, with a touch of cloves and a nice long finish. We paired the Sula shiraz with garlic naan, lamb rogan josh and chicken Manchurian.

We tried the Sula shiraz first out of curiosity but have kept on ordering it each time we’re back at Rassa. It’s a delicious surprise.