This is part II in the series on Wine With Asian Food.  Click here to read Part I.

While Asian cuisine is strongly influenced through the accents of spices and sauces, cooking technique plays a central role, as well. 

Stir frying often adds a smoky, nutty flavor profile to a dish encouraging a wine with similar flavors and aromas such as an oaky Chardonnay, a fino Sherry or Madeira.

Deep pan frying a dish in oil adds an oily flavor and encourages a non oaked (naked) Chardonnay or white Burgundy.  New world Sparkling Wine works as well.

For stewed or braised dishes, yielding rich, earthy flavors, a Pinot Noir, Shiraz or Rhone works perfectly.

Grilling fish, chicken or veggies sometimes provides the dish with a slightly smoky flavor and aroma and works well with a fruity white.  If the dish is meat based, think about a red with light to moderate tannins such as Merlot or Pinot Noir.

Finally, if your dish is steamed, the flavors will be mild and thus require a lighter white such as a Pinot Gris or Blanc or a dry Riesling.

Pairing of Varietals With Specific Asian Flavor Profiles

A) Dishes steamed, poached, boiled, deep fried; salads:

These are dishes can be fresh and crisp with herbal and citrus notes such as cilantro, lime, lemongrass and basil.  Deep frying styles add an element of richness to the dish.
Sample dish categories: seafood such as fresh fish, oysters, mussels and squid in fish sauce, perhaps deep fried, and Asian style salads that may included deep fried fish.

Wines to pair: Style: bright, cleansing, zesty.

Specific varietals: for steamed, poached, broiled and deep fried dishes, consider Sparking Wine, Champagne, Pouilly Fume, Sancere, Savienniers, Pinot Gris (Grigio) or Blanc (Bianco), Gruner Veltliner, Sylvaner, Semillon blends, Italian (Friuli) white, Muscadet, Chablis, “naked” (unoaked) Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer.  For salads, consider Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Riesling and Soave, and either Pinot Gris (Grigio) or Blanc (Bianco).

B) Dishes roasted, barbecued, grilled, smoked

Think dishes with rich, palate coating sauces such as barbecue, mushroom and sweet soy and seasonings such as cinnamon, cardamom, anise ginger, garlic and chili powder.  Yogurt is often an ingredient in these dishes, as well.
Sample dish categories: beef, lamb, game, or poultry.  Think casserole, Kebabs, and mushroom based dishes.

Specific Varietals: As these dishes are rich and chewy, think about full bodied and tannin reds.  This opens the door to Italian Nebbiolos, Barbera, Aglianico,  Bordeaux, Cabs, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Northern and Southern Rhone, Carmenere, Spanish Riojas, and Super Tuscans, Malbecs, Shiraz and Zins.

C) Dishes With Mild Spice/Smoky Flavors

These dishes can include smoke dried or salt cured meats and accented with spices and herbs such as fennel, parsley, saffron, coriander and nuts, sesame oils and yogurt, coconut or curry based sauces.  Braised pork and chicken curry are examples.  Don’t discount a vegetable based dish in this category, as well.  They can be prepared braised with chicken or pork, for example, or with soy sauce and sesame oil to provide a delightfully spiced flavor.

Specific Varietals: If the dish tends toward lightly spiced and/or curried or creamy, light, refreshing fruity and floral whites work well.  Unoaked Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc (Bianco) pair nicely as do the whites from Rhone (Hermitage), Italy (Soave) and Bordeaux.  Viognier works beautifully with curry dishes.  Roses from the “old world” or “new” work beautifully with their light, refreshing and fruity flavors as do Sparkling wines.  If the dish is more “meaty,” say with ham and chicken, think about a Cabernet Franc or blend, a Cotes du Rhone, Grenache, Barbera or Bourgogne Rouge.  If fat plays a role in the dish, as with some pork dishes, think about a wine that cuts across the fat.  That would steer you toward a crisp and fruity wine such as a sparkling Australia red.  If you are looking for a heavier red statement, think about a Bordeaux, Cab or Pinot Noir.  A braised vegetable dish with chicken or pork would pair wonderfully with any number of whites from the Italian Soave (trebbiano grape) to Chardonnay to southwest France (Jurancons).  Roses, being light, fruity and versatile as they are, work here as well.

D. Dishes With Distinct Spice and Smoke

This category provides a dish with more pronounced spiciness and smokiness.  Herbs and spices common here are chili, cumin (often found in curry), tamarind, saffron and sesame while sauces include peanut, oyster, and sauces from chili, curry, sesame and tamarind.

White wines with an oaky flavor, such as a traditional California Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, White Bordeaux or Viognier work quite well here, especially if the dish contains chicken, pork or ham.  Whites from Burgundy, Northern Rhone and Italy (Soave) are good choices, as well.  If the dish incorporates sweet flavors that come accompany hoison sauce and honey, then think about wines with some sweetness and pronounced acidity such as Riesling.  A great alternative could be a spicy and full bodied Alsatian Pinot Gris or an Oregon Pinot Gris.  If your dish contains a heavier meaty presence, a mildly tannic red would be the way to go.  The softer Italian reds such as Chianti, Barbera, Montepulciano, a soft Sangiovese or Nero d’Avola work well offering nice fruit and would you believe an aged Bordeaux with softened tannins?  A softer Cab from California or Chile or a Cotes du Rhone is a nice alternative.  A young Spanish wine would make the grade and don’t discount blends that include Grenache, Shiraz, and Mouvedre as well as Pinot  Noir and Merlot.  A tandoori dish would beg for an Italian Nebbiolo or perhaps a new world Pinot Noir while a chicken Satay pairs well with a Soave or a lightly oaked white such as Chardonnay, Viognier or Pinot Blanc (Bianco).  While I prefer whites here, an Italian Montepulciano would work fine.  Finally, the richer fortified wines such as Sherry,Vin Santo, Muscat, Banyuls and Port offer a unique approach to pairing in this category.  If the dish is deep fried with a nutty flavor along with peanut or oyster sauces, these beverages can bring a unique character to the table.

E. Fiery and Sweet Dishes

These are some of my very favorite Asian dishes awakening my palate with the heat of chili, curry and mustard and  intermingled with a deep sweetness of soy, hoison sauce, ginger, sugar and chutney.  Dried spices such as cumin, cloves, pepper, cardamom along with fresh garlic and nuts play a front and center role in bringing these dishes to life.

As you might imagine, with such spiciness and heat accompanying some of these dishes, you want a wine that cleanses the palate with zinging acidity and soothes with off dry to sweet tones.  This points toward whites such as  Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Chenin Blanc but don’t discount an Eiswein, Moscatel or Muscat, Recioto di Soave, a Loire Quarts de Chaume, Coteaux du Layon or Demi sec Vouvray (from the Chenin Blanc) or even a Hungarian Tokaji.  Wines with “late harvest” or “botrytized” on the label are perfect matches.  Sparkling wines, Demi-sec Champagne and Demi-Secco Cava (Spain) work beautifully also.  If you’re obsessed with sipping on a red, I would recommend a Rose or a chilled Australian Grenache or Shiraz if you want to try something different to pair with a Szechuan chili based dish.

One of the joys of Asian cuisine lies in its tremendous diversity and expression of flavors and cooking styles.  This, in turn, encourages experimenting with many different varietals.  Remember, this is not red with steak and white with shellfish.  So next time you prepare or order Asian cuisine, try a few wines and determine for yourself which are your favorites.  And if you are dining out, try Lotus Garden on E Speedway (www.lotusgarden.com).  Not only does owner Darryl Wong feature fantastic Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine, but he can assist you in choosing the perfect wine to pair from his wine outlet.  Look for our interview with Darryl in our Video segment in the weeks to come.   

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Tags: Asian cuisine, Asian food, Lotus Garden