I am not generally a big fan of adding things to wine , as I believe in tasting the finished product as the winemaker intended. However, I may be in a minority.
Blending wine with other drinks or flavourings does have a very long history. The Ancient Greeks added seawater, while the Romans added water, as well as herbs and spices, honey, pine resin, flower petals and fruit. Not all of these elements were thrown in at the same time and I suspect the goal at times was to mask the taste of inferior wine. However, adding water was considered essential.
Today the Burgundians enjoy a kir, made by adding crème de cassis to white wine (traditionally Bourgogne Aligoté) or kir royale (with sparkling wine) as an aperitif. The Spanish have sangria, a fruit punch, and more recently kalimotxo (also called calimocho), made with equal quantities of red wine and cola, or Tinto de Verano, made from red wine and 7-Up.
TikTok is coming down with ideas for wine cocktails, but one that has taken off is sauvignon blanc with green chillies, known as a Spicy Sauvy B. It’s not quite as crazy as it sounds. Green chillies and sauvignon blanc both contain pyrazines, chemical compounds that have herbaceous green flavours. Peas, asparagus and green peppers have them as well. Spicy margaritas work, so why not wine?
To make a Spicy Sauvy B, cut thin slices of chilli, preferably jalapeño (removing the seeds and ribs for a less spicy drink) and freeze. Add two or three slices to a glass of chilled sauvignon (Marlborough is best as it has more pyrazines), leave for a minute and then enjoy. I tried three varieties of chilli for the purposes of research; poblano, jalapeño and serrano, in ascending levels of heat.
I enjoyed my Spicy Sauvy B; after a few minutes some of the chilli flavours had transferred to the wine, giving it some really bright green pepper aromas. The wine was zesty and fruity with a pleasant kick, and got the lips tingling too.
If you bite into the chilli, obviously you get a real hit, and the longer you leave the two in contact the spicier the wine becomes. After 10 minutes, my wine was very spicy. The poblano and jalapeño gave a mild kick, and the serrano really ramped up the heat.
I would suggest trying it with an unoaked New Zealand sauvignon, and drinking fairly quickly.