It is a little bit hot, a little bit winey and a lot earthy. For me, the key distinction between white and black pepper is white pepper’s earthiness. In dishes where I want to highlight earthiness, I use white pepper. In dishes where I am just looking for a base note of heat, I use black pepper.Some cuisines lend themselves more naturally to one over the other. For example, white pepper is widely used in Indian, Asian and Mexican cuisines. To me, the food from these regions is very earthy and highly spiced.
I don’t necessarily mean “hot,” just well spiced. Although I often use white pepper in white sauces, I really use it more for the flavor than the aesthetics. I also love to pair white pepper with another of my favorite earthy spices, cumin.