SEATTLE–Despite what you might think, there are wines that go well with spicy Asian fare. And in Washington, D.C., there are lots of great places to get such meals. But this week, the D.C. Wine Shopping Examiner reports from the other Washington—Washington State.
Here in Seattle, the restaurant Wild Ginger specializes in pairing wine and spicy Asian foods. Ginger is featured in this month’s Wine Spectator as one of the nation’s restaurants with a first-rate wine selection. The food is fantastic too.
The key to matching Asian foods is ensuring that the foods do not overpower the wines and wash out subtle flavors, leaving only bitter edges. Often slightly sweet and fruity wines work better than dry wines, but there are exceptions. Pairing can include similar intensities and flavors or complements, like sweet and sour.
The Trimbach Gewürztraminer paired with the restaurant’s “Buddha rolls”–vegetable rolls served with a pineapple dipping sauce. This bright and fruity wine with flavors of lychee fruit, sweet citrus (oranges) and honey was a beautiful match with the equally rich rolls bathed in pineapple sauce. The wine comes from France’s Alsace region, which produces high quality wines at reasonable prices. If you want to try this combination at home, you can pick up the Trimbach Gewürztraminer at MacArthur Beverage and Calvert Woodley wine stores for about $20 a bottle, but it is likely available elsewhere too. Keep an eye out for it.
Pairing Asian food with red wine is trickier. If you wanted to try a spicy Asian red meat, look for an earthy, spicy herbaceous red wine. Forget the typical fruity California Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or new world Pinot Noirs for this dish. At Ginger, they offered the 2007 Domaine La Croix Belle, Wild Ginger Syrah. This wine is so herbaceous that you could describe it as minty, with clove, pepper, and maybe even basil spices. It was pretty unusual. One might even deem the aroma similar to potpourri.
Bottom line? It was a wonderful match with Ginger’s seven flavored beef—flank steak flavored with lemongrass, peanuts, hoisin, chilies, basil, garlic and ginger. The wine’s unusual notes did not get lost amongst the spices in the dish. However, you need to travel to Seattle to get a taste as the winemaker designed the wine specifically to go with Wild Ginger’s wonderful meals. Ask your local retailer for an herbaceous red to pair with such dishes if you prepare them at home or ask the sommelier at one of D.C.’s fashionable Asian restaurants.
Originally published on Examniner.com.
