January 26th, 2006 Wines for Asian Fare - Year of the Dog Where do you find these wines in GA?

Henry Leung knows a thing or two about pairing wines with Asian food. He was, after all, the man who showed New York City's restaurants how to craft wine lists that made sense with these (to Westerners) exotic dishes. Wine Spectator (Sept. 30, 2004, "Solving the Chinese Puzzle") acknowledged Leung's contribution to this evolution in food-and-wine pairing in a generous laudatory spread.

Leung has contributed to Atlanta's growth in this arena, first serving as wine consultant for Eurasia Bistro in Decatur. A sister restaurant to Northlake Thai Cuisine, Eurasia Bistro has the better wine list and much the same menu, adding a few more dishes such as foie gras.

Sharing dim sum recently from a busy Chamblee emporium, we talked about pairing Asian food and wine. "You always recommend Rose and Riesling with Chinese food," said Leung. "But that's too limiting." No question, though, that these are the no-brainer choices. But I know when I've been chastened, so I listened on.

Pulling out of a satchel a pair of red wines, and appropriate glasses for enjoying them, Leung proceeded to prove his point. "If you leave the sauces off the dishes," he advised, "you'll find red wines do very well with Chinese food."

What a revelation! While heat from spices remains an issue in much Asian fare, if one sticks to the exotic seasonings, wine can pair nicely with Asian food. My use of rose or Riesling with Chinese food is not predicated on sweetness, although just a notch of residual sugar seems to balance best. But here we had an Argentinian red blend (Achaval-Ferrer "Quimera" 2002, Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot) pairing beautifully with deep-fried shrimp!!! Not to mention the black-bean clams. And every other dish on the table. So did the 2001 Veraison Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (see below for a review of the 2002). I mean "Bam!," as a certain New Orleans via Boston chef would say.

I've tried red Rhones with Asian fare, but don't care for the results. Zinfandel, I find, also doesn't work with spicier dishes. It's like fuel on a fire, thanks to Zinfandel's typically high alcohol, and spice on spice. But the voluptuous, easy tannin reds that Leung brought to our dim sum feast worked much better, even though they were big, bold wines.

Curries, provided they're not hot, and other exotic seasonings on beef and lamb will do nicely with Australian and New Zealand Pinot Noir. The more savory character of these wines, with their dried herb finish, does a better job of finding companionship with the curry than, say, a typical red cherry California Pinot Noir. And New Zealand Pinot Gris is another great choice with Asian-influenced fare.

Sparkling wines and Champagne also do well with Asian food, no matter where they come from. Sparkling wines act as palate cleansers, leaving the taste buds refreshed and ready for the next bite. Watch out, though, for really oily fish (mackerel) and be careful with the wasabi, which should only be a nuance anyway.

When it comes to other Asian cuisine, such as Thai, which lends itself to spiciness, choices that temper heat are important. Gregg Smith, wine consultant at Silk Asian Steak & Seafood, likes Albarino, Gruner Veltliner, and any Riesling, even a sweet one, with spicy Asian food. Riesling sekt (German sparkling, pronounced zek-t) is perhaps an optimal choice, and at Silk, he pours the Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler dry sekt.
"I tend to like the dry ones better, although I love sweet Riesling. A lot of people don't realize that sweet Riesling goes well with a lot of things," Smith says.
He further advocates Rose--still or sparkling--with Thai food, "especially if you get something with those strawberry flavors. It has that nice cooling effect," he adds.
When it comes to sushi, Smith likes sparkling, although he finds other matches can do very well also.

"A lot of people ask me about pairing wine with sushi, even red wine with sushi," he says, but acknowledges: "It kind of scared me. So I sat down with a plate of sushi and red wine." Sometimes, you just have to stop the guesswork and just put it in your mouth and see what happens. He found that Pinot Noir was lovely with the fattier fish, but overwhelming with shellfish.

I agreed, as I'd found the Savannah-Chanelle Central Coast Pinot Noir, which sadly, they no longer produce, divine with salmon sashimi at MF Sushi Bar. This Pinot Noir wasn't your typical California red cherry fruit bombe, but instead was slightly earthy and very savory, rather than sweet. Also, it was much better when served at a proper cool temperature, than it was at the initial warm temperature that I rejected. Smith agrees that cooler temperatures on Pinot Noir work better with sushi. (I would suggest they work better period.) He also likes Chandon's Pinot Meunier with sushi.

So that's a lot to think about when it comes to Asian food and wine pairings. Experiment and see what works for you. Below are some tested suggestions that worked for me, but perhaps you'll go wild and find more. Let us know!

Celebrate Chinese New Year on January 29, 2006, Year of the Dog, with some new experiences in pairing wine with Asian food. Just keep the hot spices to a minimum for best results. You guys who want to show your chest hairs by eating the hottest possible Thai food will just have to reach for a cold beer.

Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Dim sum of all sorts, sushi (especially specialty rolls, with just a little pickled ginger and wasabi) and sashimi; mild curried chicken or shrimp (no heat); tataki and tonkatsu, cold noodle dishes (lo mein etc.), teriyaki salmon, chicken or pork; Thai fare (but not hot), such as pud Thai, spring rolls with dipping sauce), Vietnamese food; Asian-influenced American dishes such as Country Captain

Price: $35
Wholesaler: Savannah Distributing

Where to Get: Bottoms Up; Capital City; Jax (both); Oscar's Beer & Wine (Terrell Mill Junction, Marietta), Peachtree Wine Merchants; Perimeter Bottle Shop; Sherlock's (Barrett Pkwy./Brookhaven/Sherlock & Sanders); Tower Piedmont, Marietta Wine Market, Whole Foods Buckhead (Ponce). Also numerous restaurants, but for pairing it with Asian food, try Orient Express or Sampan.

Food Pairings: Amazing with Asian food: Dumplings (especially Korean) with dipping sauce, Korean seafood or vegetable pancakes, crispy calamari with Ponzu dipping sauce; dim sum; all manner of Asian seafood and chicken dishes; green lip mussels with curry coconut milk broth; Thai green papaya salad with grilled shrimp, pud Thai, sushi rolls with pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce (no kiddin'!). Other stuff: goat cheese; oysters; lobster; mildly flavored medium-bodied white fish (flounder, tilapia, catfish)

Price: $18
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing

Food Pairings: All manner of Chinese fare, including the sweet-finished dishes, such as orange beef or chicken, Chinese-style peanut chicken; sesame chicken; black pepper chicken; pork with scallions and soy sauce; egg foo yung, Also Thai dishes, such as Thai green curry, especially on chicken or chick peas (Whole Foods)

Price: $26
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing

Food Pairings: Mild curried chicken or shrimp salad; Indian fare (so long as it's not wicked hot); Indonesian and Thai curries; green papaya salad with grilled shrimp and other Thai salads, chicken with lemongrass, salmon with gingered crumbs, Japanese eggplant Thai style with garlic and ginger. Other stuff: anything with sauerkraut (Reuben sandwiches; pork and sauerkraut, charcuterie garni).

Price: $18
Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits

Price: $20
Wholesaler: Georgia Crown

Food Pairings: Surprising with specialty rolls and a wide range of dim sum, such as black-bean shellfish, salt-and-pepper squid; pork buns, Chinese spareribs, plus Chinese pork and beef dishes, such as orange beef (awesome!), Peking duck, lamb. From Whole Foods; Thai coconut chicken; Mandarin beef (with tamari and sesame oil), ginger lamb, green curry Thai chick peas, Asian steak.. Also lamb cooked in yogurt and curry paste, braised tamarind-flavored beef short ribs with mashed parsnips and potatoes. Other stuff: peppered liver pаtй, smoked beef ribs.

Price: $50
Wholesaler: Grapefields