Men, be honest with me. I've just got to know. Do the majority of you out there really believe that Thai food pairs well with a spicy Shiraz? Is this your idea of a match made in heaven? What you're looking for in a meal?
Every time I hear a man - for the ability to appreciate such a combination appears to be located on the Y chromosome - profess his love for Thai food with a "big, bold Australian Shiraz," I always look for the sarcasm. With toes curled tightly, I listen to him talk about how the "powerful" flavors of Thai food demand a "powerful" wine. I've held my peace for too long and can abide it no longer: I find this pairing shocking. I don't care if there's beef in the papaya salad! There's also fish sauce, shrimp paste, and lemongrass in there. Mercy.
Call me old fashioned, but, when it comes to Thai food, I tend to go with a lean white. Gruner-Veltliner and Sauvignon Blanc have the acidity, herbaciousness, and verve to hang with the fresh, pungent flavors of lemongrass, lime leaves, and cilantro. Riesling and Silvaner have the right balance of acidity and sweetness to sit comfortably at the table. The word is harmony; with so many intense flavors swirling around in the dishes, the last thing I want is a wine that will compete, or try to stomp all over them.
I hate to bring gender into this, but I'm just relating my own experience. Guys, I invite you to prove me wrong.
Also, I forgot to include this link in my last post. Check here for wine events near you!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Your Partner's a Shocker
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10 comments:
Amen sister! No reds with Thai - I agree - even being the (sometimes) proud owner of one of the afore-mentioned Y Chromes.
Yes, I think it must be said, the whole matching of wines by the color of the "meat" is nothing to bank on. It is at least as much to do with pH, style, delicateness, sweetness, and other attributes within foods and wines that some (not necessarily me!) have a real nak for pairing!
There is always personal preference - and I would never be one to call a pairing "wrong" - but I do think the herbatiousness and spiciness of Thai food demands a crisp acidic wine for most palettes.
The correlation you have noticed with men preferring a big red with their Thai is interesting! Maybe men simply prefer a big red in general? I know I often do! ;-)
p.s. I'm a long-time lurker - rarely comment. But I always look forward to your consistently excellent and entertaining writings! Thanks so much!
Testify! And thanks for your kind words!
You're completely right, too. No matter how objectively good the pairing is, personal preference will always win in the end.
It does seem that a lot of men prefer "masculine" reds, but I know at least a few that are man enough to drink white. And pink. Depends on the occasion, but sometimes I like a big, burly wine myself. And last time I checked, I am not a man.
hey girl,
come on now. we all that we men just look stupid. we all know that the reason you drink something like a dry riesling or even a wine with some "rs" in is because you want to cleasne your palate between bites due to the beating it takes from spicy thai food. actually a nigori often does the trick.
Oi, you nicked my catchphrase, I'm going to have my lawyers speak to your lawyers! Seeing as how I have a written admission of guilt, this should be a slam dunk!!
Personally I've never really cared to pair wine with spicy cuisines and, being a latterday beer refusenik, I now opt for sparkling mineral water or some kind of fruit juice as my liquid accompaniment of choice for these foods.
Those chunky reds are great by the way but I prefer mine with a nice Argentinian steak, a meaty Italian ragu like pappardelle alla cinghiale or some stinky cheese.
Time for lunch.
Loved the post -- have to agree that syrahs don't belong in a thai restaurant! Dry and flavorful whites with good acids to handle the spices and curries -- dry rieslings, viogniers, rhone blends can all do the trick! I think a vouvray can also do well, tho stay away from the super dry muscadet or sauv blancs, whose light flowery tastes will be lost in the spices of the plate.
Reds can work well, in my estimation, but needs to be a balanced, clean red. This is where a good Pinot can really shine, so long as it is not overwhelmingly full of leather and tobacco -- some of the lighter calif pinots can be a good match, if red is where your interests lie.
I personally find that (in my advanced years) I tend more to the whites than I ever did before. More of a complement to whatever else is going on around me, and unless I am deep into MEAT where I still need that great pairing that the reds will give, white is more and more my friend. (Of course I am saying this while sipping the end of a Gepin Barbera bottle I opened last night - haha!)
And in general, men DO think they know more than they really do ...
P
Go on, blame the Y chromosome if you want, but bad (or perhaps simply odd) taste is pretty much universal!
But I agree with you about the whites, particularly German (try the 05's, a superb vintage), personally I think the sweet late-harvest auslese and spatlese wines are a real knock-out with spicy flavors like Thai or Vietnamese. Gruner V is something I am warming up to lately, it can be nice, as are some California wines in the same vein, pinot gris and the like.
And of course there's always beer, like a nice hoegaarden, or some sakes that are palate-cleansing. But jebus me, thai chili beef and cotes du rhone? Hmm, not so much. . . .
Thank you for your input, guys. I think we have separated the Boyz from the Men.
I'll get to the sake thing later. I agree that sake can work with Thai food, quite well, actually. But next up on my (gender-based) hit list is the notorious namazake + Indian food combination.
Ah, I look forward to the piece about Indian food + namazake, two flavours that are obviously close to my heart. At my bro's restaurant in London, the sommelier has done sake + Indian food pairings before, if you're interested I can send you a list of which particular sakes have previously appeared on the menu.
Thing is that you could say that his restaurant serves Indian food cooked with a defter, lighter touch and that's the kind of Indian food that we as a family favour and which my mum makes at home. Having spent most of the summer in Bangkok, I also had some exposure to "Thai-lite" cuisine. These evolutions or variations of traditionally spicy, rich, full blown cuisines no doubt offer more interesting possibilities for the pairing of wines and sakes.
Don't count me on this!
I'm not an Ozzie.
In any case I have doubts as how to combine wine with spicy food anyway (or even sake for that matter). Beer would be best!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
Melinda,
as a Y chromossome holder I can assure you that the combination "shiraz-thay food" is not a consenssus among us.
Personally I like Gewürtramminer or a (very) brut sparkling wine.
Cheers!!
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