Thai food is traditionally difficult to match with wine, but there are some options to pair with white, and even red wine, if you understand the reasons why wine can clash. Read on to find out more.
There used to be a Thai Restaurant, not too far from us, that we frequented with some good friends of ours who also are wine lovers. Now, I know everyone thinks their local Thai restaurant is the best, but ours was! After many annual trips to Thailand we got to know real Thai food – Paladarr Thai Issan was the real deal. Unfortunately it’s now closed, its ‘shy’ chef and one-time Bhuddist Monk, Chaloem, and his partner Bryan, having moved back to Bangkok. Their food celebrated a regional style of Thai from the Issan region which borders both Laos and Cambodia…great food and terrific people.
During the old days, when we could still venture to restaurants, we would go there with our wine friends. There would, of course, be some serious debate as to which wine to bring. That’s because it can be quite tricky to match Thai food with wine, for two main reasons:
- Thai food is often based on a salty fish sauce which is difficult to match to wine;
- Thai food usually includes green or red chilies, which don’t pair well with wine.
But it is possible to find wines that do go well with Thai food, let’s explore some.
It’s important with wine and food paring to find wines that either:
- Compliment the food, that is they have similar aromas and flavours. For example hints of ginger in the wine will match ginger in the food;
- Contrast with the food, that is they have different aromas and flavours that amplify those in the food. For example the sweetness of red berries in the wine might be amplified by the heat from the chili.
As a general rule white wines go better with Thai food, especially crisp aromatic fruity white wines. And although it isn’t fashionable, white wines with a little bit of residual sugar match best. The sweetness and viscosity of the residual sugar helps to soften the heat of the chilli whilst also counterbalancing the saltiness of the sauce.
Suggested grape examples include:
- Riesling, especially from the Clare and Eden Valleys in Australia;
- Gewurztraminer, especially from the Alsace region of France;
- Pinot Gris from pretty much anywhere.
For Thai food, what’s key is to get wines which include these grape varieties and that contain residual sugar, otherwise the acid will clash with the heat and spice. The other great thing about these grape varieties is that many of them also contain complimentary aromas and flavours also found in Thai food. For example, Riesling has citrus flavours that compliment the lime juice used in many dishes; Gewürztraminer has ginger notes.
One of the big mis-matches with Thai food is choosing a big, heavy red.This is because chilli clashes with the tannin found in red wine which can leave an unpleasant metallic after taste. The solution is to find a red wine that is fruity and low in tannin. In Australia Grenache, especially old vine Grenache from the Barossa or McLaren valleys, can do the trick. Great examples come from Yalumba including theBush Vine Grenache.
So next time you are getting some Thai take away, or heading to your favourite restaurant, try one of these choices and let me know what you thought of the match on my Facebook page. Also, if you know of an authentic Thai restaurant then please let me know as we’re in search of our next Paladarr!
To get more food and wine pairing tips, head over to our events page. I am also happy to tailor corporate events to your needs and budget – perhaps a Thai meal with some white and red wines to mix and match. Feel free to reach out to me here for an initial discussion.
In the meantime, if you need any tips or advice then feel free to reach out to me on our Facebook page and sign up to my mailing list to get access to our newsletter and wine specials.
Cheers,
Antony.
