What Wines Match with Asian Foods?
Ask most people this, and the answer you will get is 'Beer'. And it's probably a fair call. But if you're like us, and don't enjoy trying to shovel in 3 pints on top of that Chicken Jalfreezi & Rice & Poppadums, you may still be searching for the right wine to match when out to the local curry house or Thai restaurant.
When it comes to white wine, we are simply spoilt for choice, given the rise of aromatic varieties over the last few years (we touch on this in our next newsletter). We eagerly recommend Pinot Gris with most Thai & Vietnamese dishes. The viscous mouthfeel, slight sweetness and hints of spice match really well with the spice and fresh herbal, aromatic qualities of these cuisines. Greystone, Vavasour, Stoneleigh 'Rapaura', and Spy Valley are our current recommendations, and have all stood up to the Thai taste test from our local!
Indian curries are best matched with a Gewurztraminer. To match with those creamier, heavier and spicier flavours, you need a wine that will display stronger spice/aromatics and a slightly sweeter palate. Try the Lawson's Dry Hills, Greystone, or Vinoptima for a particularly good match.
Riesling cannot be forgotten in the mix as well. It is of course a wonderful match with seafood, but we have always found that anything spicy will overpower the wine quite easily. Try it with Vietnamese seafood dishes - all those , fresh, raw herbs & ingredients with seafood are complemented well by a Medium-dry Riesling, with hints of minerality, lively acidity and perhaps a splash of sweetness. It's also our pick, along with Sauvignon Blanc for matching with Sushi & Sashimi.
To be completely honest, we still haven't found any great red wines that go with Thai, Vietnamese & Indian cooking. If you simply HAVE to have red wine, we would recommend a Pinot Noir or Merlot, but it's only a half-hearted recommendation :-). We'd love to hear any suggestions though - Please post them on our Facebook page or e-mail us at customer.service@nzwineonline.com.au
One golden rule - anything that is too spicy will overpower most wines. Vindaloo lovers - stick to the lager.
NZ Wins the Tri-Nations!!!
You may not all be followers of a certain competition, but for those of you are, you'll know that NZ won the Tri-Nations wine competition last weekend for the first time. This annual competition is unique in that it is by invitation only, and one judge each from South Africa, NZ & Australia puts forward what they feel are their country's best wines in each category. NZ this year topped the trophies & Double Gold medals list with 7 & 11 respectively, followed by Australia (4 & 7) and South Africa (2 & 1). South Africa claimed red wine of the show through the Haskel Stellenbosch Shiraz. NZ Claimed white wine of the show with the Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2007.