ASIAN
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General InformationMany eastern styled beef dishes are based in spice. For an eastern spicy dish you need a special kind of wine. You need a wine with a liberal amount of acids and a sweeter or fruitier side. Acidity will bring out the layers of spices and flavours in the dish and cut the rich or fatty elements of the beef, while its sweetness or fruits will soften the spice which again allows the layers of flavour to be exposed. A good complimenting wine for Asian food will contain a moderate to low levels of alcohol, as alcohol can fan spice. This wine should be softer and lighter in tannins and contain higher crisp acidity and can have larger amounts of residual sugar creating a sweeter wine.
In Depth PairingSWEET AND SOUR, COCONUT MILK, SWEET CHILLI:
For the sweet and hot cuisine of Thai and Chinese origin, including sweet and sour sauces, coconut milk based curries, and foods using Thai chilli, or sweet chilli sauce, look to a Riesling on the off-dry or sweeter side.The sweetness will counter the spice while still matching the tone of the sweeter coconut milk and the sweet chilli sauce. Sweeter Rieslings also contain less alcohol which minimizes the augmenting effect alcohol has on spice. These wines general contain a liberal amount of acids which cut the fats of the beef while offering a crisp tone. Zinfandel is another wine to turn to for sweet and spicy. A Zinfandel with moderate tannins, jammy and lush in flavor can cut the fats of beef and still give good fruitiness and spice themselves to accompany the spice of the dish. Steer clear of Chardonnays for their high alcohol content will clash with the spiciness of the dish SPICY WITHOUT THE SWEET: For spicy dishes that do not contain sweeter notes, go for an off dry Gewurtztraminer or make that Riesling a Kabinett Riesling, the driest and lightest classification of Riesling in Germany or one from Washington. These tend to be rich and juicy Rieslings with balance and silky texture.The Kabinett Riesling offers a good balance between fruitiness and acidity without the sweetness. This allows the fat and proteins of the beef to be softened and cut while also taming the spice. The moderate to low alcohol content will prevent an increased sensation in the spice, as alcohol can have this effect. Gewurtztraminer will offer a bit of spice to compliment the spice of the dish, while offering a sweeter tone to tame the spice. BITTER AND SALTY: If these Asian dishes are less sweet and spicy, and more bitter and salty, turn to a Viognier, whose fullness, peppery accents and sweetness counter the salty and bitter dish nicely. Viognier does not work as well with sweet dishes or spicy dishes due to its high alcohol and lower acidity. SPICES AND AROMATIC: For Indian cuisine containing an assortment of spices such as cinnamon, cloves and sweeter baking spice, look to contrast the spice with sweeter again and look for wines that contain these same notes. If these spices are earthier, brown spices like cumin, corriander, fennel or cardamom, look to a European Syarah, Grenache, Dolcetto or Côtes du Rhône. These wines are known to contain spicy notes to accompany the spice of the dish and when from Europe will contain earthy elements that go splendidly with lentil and chickpea based dishes. Dolcetto carries licorice and anise flavors that might match a dish of similar tone, Grenache has been known to carry hints of cinnamon and licorice and Syrah is an earthy dish with peppery spice. |
MEXICAN |
Pair Sauvignon Blanc with the chile- and lime-infused flavors of Mexican and Southwestern dishes. The herbal, tangy qualities of Sauvignon Blanc are tailor-made to harmonize with the cilantro and lime notes in Tex-Mex and Southwestern cuisine.If there is meat in the dish, choose a wine labeled Fumé Blanc, which indicates a style of Sauvignon Blanc that has been barrel-fermented and -aged, and may have a bit of the Semillon grape blended in. The barrel treatment and the touch of Semillon give the wine extra body to stand up to meat. You cannot do better than Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2005 ($18).
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Wine and Food Pairing @ wineandfoodpairing.org
About Wine @ wine.about.com
Andrea Robinson @ eatingwell.com
Gayot @ gayot.com
About Wine @ wine.about.com
Andrea Robinson @ eatingwell.com
Gayot @ gayot.com