YOU might be glad to hear that Thai New Year is being celebrated this week, starting on Thursday. So, after a weekend of sickly sweet chocolate a bit of oriental spice might be a welcome release from those cocoa and sugar-based highs.
Authentic Thai food is based around five key flavours – hot, sour, sweet, salty and bitter. Four regional cuisines dominate the spectrum of dishes with the well-known coconut milk being more frequently used in Southern Thai cooking. Lay off the big tannic wines and opt for more soft, fruity reds or lush unoaked whites.
For a real match made in heaven pair the lychee and musk scented Alsace Gewürztraminer 2011 £9.49 M&S with traditional Laksa. The slight sweetness from this magnificent grape variety tempers the spice wonderfully, with the richly concentrated exotic fruit flavours marrying with the coconut.
Light bodied and juicy reds work best with not-so-strong sauces especially from the Far East – avoid black bean or intensely aromatic Thai curries. The region that without a doubt does light and juicy best (but also not just this style) is Beaujolais. The region is currently undergoing a rather needed and overdue renaissance with Beaujolais Nouveau lessening each year, with producers preferring to produce top quality ‘Crus’ such as Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent and Brouilly. The most famous of these Crus, certainly in the UK, is the charmingly named Fleurie. These wines at their best are aromatic, elegant and full of charming red fruit flavours. Try Domaine Pardon’s Fleurie 2010 £12.20 (houseoftownend.com) for a taste of the REAL Beaujolais.
Another style that has seen a resurgence following a dip in popularity over the past decade is Riesling. This grape variety traditionally hails from the steep vineyard slopes of the Mosel Valley in Germany, but can be found all over the globe from Australia, Chile, New Zealand and even New York State. Its high acidity and sublime freshness work with all kinds of spicy Asian food from pad Thai to pho to shrimp lettuce wraps. For a real bargain buy head to the lemon and lime flavoured Palatium Riesling 2010 £5.50 Tesco.
A really stunning New World interpretation of viognier, perfect for any Asian-style food, is the Chilean Anakena Single Vineyard Viognier 2010 Rapel Valley, £8.75 winedirect.co.uk. It’s fresh and aromatic, with a richness that combines with exotic fruit notes such as apricots and peaches and a slight vanilla hint on the finish. Pair with a traditional Thai pumpkin and coconut dessert.
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