ASIAN WINE PAIRING PROVERB: SWEET, MEET HEAT!
by Mike Stolese
In Chittenden county, we are lucky to have a number of very good Asian restaurants that don’t have their own liquor licenses, but allow you to bring in your own wine or beer.
This gives you a real advantage…with a bit of knowledge, you can arrive with the perfect bottle for the heat and varied spices you get in Asian food, whether it be Chinese, Korean, Thai, or Japanese.
Sweet wines such as Rieslings and Gewurztraminers are perfect foils for the heat and spice of many of the dishes you will come across in Asian cooking.
Sweet wine can offer two things at once. First, they can help balance out the heat, reducing the sweetness of the wine and the heat of the dish for a better experience on both ends. And because sweet and sour sauces are regular fare at many Asian restaurants, the sweeter wine melds beautifully, softening both.
Now, I’m a sucker for anything coconut based, and Thai coconut soup is way up there on my list of favorites. This is where we can be a bit creative. A nice Sauvignon Blanc is the way to go. The herbaceous and tropical fruit notes, along with acid you find in SB, brings out the best in both, with the acidity balancing out the richness of the coconut milk. Beyond the soup, the same reasoning applies to any coconut-based salads with fruit or citrus dressing.
Somehow, sparkling wines keep showing up in my columns about wine pairings, and there is a solid reason for that…they just work with a variety of foods. With today’s subject, bubbles with fried food and Dim Sum are great matches.
For the red wine drinkers, fear not…here are couple of suggestions. We know that Pinot Noir works with duck and pork. That does not change with Asian cuisine, where both are easily found on most menus. Another thought would be a nice, fruity gamay.
And of course, let us not forget a nice rosé. Rosés are extremely versatile and work with many dishes. It pairs exceptionally well with Asian cuisine because of its high acidity and bright fruitiness. Its cooling, refreshing nature balances chili heat, while its light body doesn't overpower subtle dishes like sushi.
So, depending on where you like to go with your food choices (and most folks will have a general idea of what they might order), bring along the right bottle (or two) feel your palate light up!
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Mike Stolese is the owner of Vermont Wine Merchants, a wholesale distribution company based in Burlington.
