Nam Ky Khoi Nghia - Asialife HCMC

Pairing wine and Asian food is a challenge for even the most experienced
connoisseur. Thomas Maresca tries to find the right match.
Photo by Nam Quan.
While both wine and Asian
cuisines have long and refined
histories, they’ve evolved along
separate paths. Trying to find
balance and harmony between
wine and Asian food is still a
relatively new endeavour, and
often a difficult one. The delicacy
of Cantonese, the spiciness
of Southeast Asian, or unusual
flavour combinations such as
hot and sweet would seem
to defy most traditional wine
pairings.
It’s a challenge but far from
impossible, according to Brian
Walsh, director of winemaking
at Yalumba, Australia’s oldest
family-owned winery. “In a
general sense, I never cease
to be amazed at how versatile
wine and food matching can
be,” he says. “In my dining and
drinking experience, unless a
dish is especially hot, you can
find a wine to match.”
As a general rule of thumb,
Walsh advises that plainer foods
are best suited to bolder wines,
such as Cabernet Sauvignon
and Shiraz. As a dish becomes
more complex, more fragrant
and savoury wines such as
Grenache and Tempranillo
meld better. A Pinot Grigio can
go well with delicate flavours.
Seafood dishes often match well
with crispy and zesty whites
such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Jeremie Courivault, sales and
marketing manager of wine
supplier The Warehouse, says
that while in Western dishes, the
emphasis is on matching the ingredients,
often Asian food and
wine must be paired according
to cooking style—steamed,
stir-fried, grilled. “You are not
matching the ingredients,” he
says. “You are matching the
dish.”
Experts agree that hot chillis
present the biggest challenge to
pairing. “Strong chilli will kill
most wines,” says Walsh. “In
my opinion, sometimes it’s best
to have the wine after dinner.”
Generally, tannic reds are the
worst match with spice, enhancing
the burn and the alcoholic,
astringent taste of the wine.
Sweet whites such as Riesling
or Gewurztraminer can work
with spicy dishes as a contrast,
according to Courivault.
The conventions for Asian
food and wine pairings are
still clearly evolving. A recent
competition held in Hong Kong
by Cathay Pacific to pair wines
with Chinese food delivered
several surprises. A sparkling
rosé won best match for braised
abalone, instead of what had
been considered the more traditional
pairing, red Bordeaux.
Likewise, a Malbec won for
best pairing with Peking duck,
beating the expected Pinot Noir.
And a sweet Muscat won best
pairing for the very spicy Kung
Pao Chicken.
Walsh says that pairing is
more art than science: “One
shouldn’t have too many firm
rules. If you only stick to the
script, you might miss some
interesting combinations. Life
and wine are both about experiences.
We encourage people to
have a go and experiment.”
Here in HCM City, Yalumba,
The Warehouse, and Yu Chu
Restautant at the Intercontinental
Asiana Hotel held a
wine and Asian food dinner on
March 23rd. The following were
the pairings. All wines were
supplied by Yalumba.
The Pair:
Pinot Grigio & Dim Sum
Why It Works:
Sometimes scorned by wine
snobs, pinot grigio is light and
easy to drink. This works well
with something like dim sum,
as it won’t overpower the
delicate flavors. Crispy with
a hint of fruit, pinot grigio
works well with steamed
seafood and in this case it also
enhances the smoky flavours
of sesame oil and soy sauce.
It could even be paired with
a dish like Peking duck, suggests
Courivault.
The Pair:
Wild Ferment Chardonnay &
Steamed Lobster with Garlic
Sauce
Why It Works:
Lobster is one of the fattiest
seafoods and needs a more
powerful wine to go along
with it. Chardonnay is a rich
white; the bottle selected
here is not overpowering on
the nose, and has strength,
persistence and creaminess
on the palette. It’s also able to
stand up to the garlic, which
would overwhelm a lighter
white.
The Pair:
Bush Vine Grenache &
Wok-grilled Filet of Chicken
with Fresh Mushroom in
Melon Ring and Brown Sauce
Why it Works:
This Grenache is soft and
gentle, fragrant with very little
oak flavour. Greanache is more
about character and mouthfeel
than strong flavours. It has a savoury
length on the palette that
enhances the appetite and goes
well with a dish such as grilled
chicken. Too much spice could
overpower it, however.
The Pair:
Barossa Shiraz-Viognier &
Hand-pulled Noodles with
Barbecued Pork
Why it Works:
Blending the Shiraz with
a small amount of white
Viognier grapes creates a more
medium-bodied, floral red,
which matches well with the
smoky-sweet glaze of Chinese
barbecued pork. Tannic reds
such as a Cabernet Sauvignon
or straight shiraz would likely
leave a harsher, alcohol aftertaste.
The light soy sauce broth
of this dish also blends well.
The Pair:
Old Vine Shiraz &
Beef with Black Pepper Sauce
Why it Works:
About as classic a pairing as
you’ll find. A powerful, fullbodied
red is the perfect accompaniment
to red meat. In this
case, the slight peppery notes
in the shiraz compliment the
black pepper sauce perfectly.
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