Pairing Wine with Thai Food

Posted by CK in cabernet, chardonnay, ethnic food, thai, wine

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Amanda and I are both big fans of Thai Food (as I'm sure Beth is as well, always finding herself at Santé Restaurant). Although I always end up going to bottom-hole places like Bangkok in Montreal or random places in the Ottawa Chinatown, sometimes a high class Thai restaurant may require a good glass of wine. Serious Eats gives us three different wine pairings with three different Thai dishes (quotes by Todd Knoll, the executive estate chef at Jordan Vineyard & Winery)

Pad Thai: The classic noodle dish, often served with crushed peanuts.

Wine Pairing: Chardonnay (alternatives: Alsatian wines, Australian Semillon).
"The 2008 Jordan Chardonnay is actually perfect, but any Chardonnay with low alcohol, high acids and balance can work great. Low alcohol is important, especially with spiciness. I like to clean my palate with wine—you're getting some oils, especially with pad thai."

Yom Tam: A hot and spicy soup.

Wine Pairing: Chardonnay again, but a more fruit-forward, unoaked version.(alternative: Reisling)
"You have to be careful with oaked chardonnay, because the spice will accent that, and it's just too much. Go with unoaked. A little residual sugar,and you'll have a better pairing. The balance of spice vs fruit, you want more fruit on the nose or more sugar in the glass.

Chicken Satay: Grilled meat in a peanut based sauce; originally an Indonesian dish but widely adopted on Thai menus.

Wine Pairing: Cabernet, (alternative: Reisling, Chardonnay)
"That's a tricky one. I would definitely go with a wine with some residual sugar. You're getting a spice so you're going to need a sweeter wine, but you don't' want to overpower the chicken. To be honest, beer is better with this dish than wine."