Spice World: Asian Spice

Read the previous Spice World post on SW/Mex Spice.

Asian Spice
I’m sure a studious foodie out there could author an entire treatise on the near-infinite spice combinations in Asian cuisine.  Today, let’s pull our Asian spice example from Thailand.  Picture a mouth-watering platter of chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce.  How on earth could any wine handle soy sauce, peanut sauce, spicy red peppers, garlic, and onions?  It’s tricky, yet it can be done.  In this instance, our wine needs to be full-bodied, slightly spicy, and aromatic enough to register in this sea of spices.  Let’s go with two fragrant heavy hitters:  Alsatian Gewurztraminer or California Viognier.  These white wines offer spicy aroma, tangy flavors, and tongue-protecting viscosity (i.e. this wine is thick and sticky).  Take a sip.  You’ll notice nutty flavors of the peanut sauce slipping through the spice wall.  You may also enjoy the sensation of lasting tangy wine flavors hanging out with the spicy red peppers.  Wine recommendations:  Qupe Bien Nacido Cuvee (Viognier/Chardonnay blend), ’03 ($17) from California; Weinbach Clos des Capucins, Cuvée Théo, Gewurztraminer '01 from Alsace

Comments

[Steve-o]

I agree that a good chard/viognier blend will do a nice job with spices... but another one to consider - as recently reviewed over at Alden's www.vinography.com - is the 2000 Domaine Marcel Deiss Gruenspiel, which is a blend, believe it or not, of riesling, gewürztraminer, and pinot noir!

It's a little pricy, however, and not the easiest wine to find, but on the basis of his review, I tracked a bottle down. It's pretty unusual in character; I'm not even 100% sure how to describe it. Elusive, but still a real pleasure to drink, and definitely a wine that can stand up to very spicy asian food. I had it with Indian cuisine, myself, but I expect it would pair nicely with Thai.

[Steve-o]

Oops, if you're reading this, sorry Alder - I misspelled your name!

[thecaveman]

For a softer touch, try perhaps the Cuvée Marie from Charles Hours. It's a Jurancon sec.. very fresh, slightly oxidized.. a real treat.
Hope all is well Beau.
Bill

[Beau]

Hello Steve,

The Deiss Gruenspiel sounds wonderfully bizaare. I must find it! Sadly, the selection in Utah is limited. However, I will be hopping off to New York next month. I'll try to track it down there. Thanks for the tip.

Cheers,

Beau

[Beau]

Hey Bill - any ideas where the Cuvee Marie might be hiding in New York? I'm going to go on a shopping spree next month.

[tiffany]

My favorite wine for spicy Thai or Chinese food is Guntrum Scheurebe Kabinett 2002 from Germany. Columbia Valley Gewurztraminer from Washington state is a very close (and easier to find) second.

Something about the spicy-sweetness about both wines that make them perfect (though not obvious) choices.

[Warren Edwardes]

My formula for Wine to drink with Spicy Food is:

REFRESHING

This is delivered by:

ice bucket cold - like a cold beer.

naturally semi-sparkling - bubbles provide refreshment. But too many lead to flatulence with food and CO2 injection leads to gas quickly dissipating - so I use second fermentation with gas at 2.5 atmospheres/bar.

mouth-watering acidity - think lemon and lime juice as a parallel

no mouth-drying tannin - most red other than say a soft Gamay or Pinot Noir, wines are out

average level of alcohol - too low means a backbone-less wine and too high gives a hot wine. Try biting into a chilli before and after a swig of Vodka.

no oak be it barrel, chips or powder. Oak with many asian spices such as cumin, coriander and ginger provides a bitter after-taste.

Fruitiness and residual sugar rise in relation to the spiciness of the dish. Think mango pickle. The sweetness acts as a counterfoil to the chilli.

kind regards, warren edwardes
ceo, Wine for Spice
http://wineforspice.com

[Ramona]

Subject: Resource Suggestion

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Ramona
Ku Soju
[email protected]