To
sweet; to spice; perchance, to dry? In which direction does one
turn
when looking for a wine to pair with hot
or spicy food—or does indecisiveness lead you, as it has
me on occasion, to beer? As I’ve said before, when selecting
wine, a lot depends on personal preference and what you want
the wine to do for the food. Do you want it to accentuate the spice
(kick it up a notch)? Or do you want to tone it down? Or maybe
you want to give your dish some competition from the glass? Perhaps
you don’t want to beat the heat into submission; possibly
you just want to play along with it. Whatever you do,
it’s
important that you please your own palate.
When I choose
a wine for spicy fare, I usually look for one that will enhance
the
food I’m eating. What’s going to unlock
the essence of the dish? For example, I might want to emphasize
the spice of one dish with a light dry white, like a Pinot Blanc,
or give it some competition with a bold spicy red, like a Zinfandel.
Or maybe, I want to set up a counterpoint between the wine and
the food—with a bit of the dish’s capricious spice
peeking out from behind the sensuous sweetness of a Chenin Blanc,
or with the hearty beef swapping places with the plummy fruit of
a Shiraz. Or perhaps, I just want to cleanse my palate, with a
crisp white, like a Riesling, playing a supporting role to the
dish.
In addition to pairing the flavors, I also try to match the weight
of the dish with that of the wine: heavy foods with full bodied
wines (12.5% alcohol and above); lighter fare with light to medium
bodied wines (11% and below).
Matching spicy
food and wine takes some study and practice. Consult a good book
like
Joanna Simon’s Wine with Food and pop a
few corks. (I recommend practicing at home; it’s less expensive.)
But the search should always be fun. If the bottle you choose,
doesn’t work with the dish, enjoy it after the meal as dessert
or save it for the next day, when you can select a better match
for it. In fact, one of the best experiences you’ll have
along the way is when you take a chance on a wine that you’ve
never had before and discover serendipitously that you’ve
achieved the perfect
pairing.
Below are
our attempts to match wines with spicy Chinese food: a Hunan
steamed sea bass with ginger and black beans, the ever-popular
General Tso’s chicken, tangerine beef with chilies, and Chinese
eggplant and garlic. I think we did quite well.
As is our custom, we tasted the wines first on their own and then
with the food. The wines are listed in the order in which they
were tasted.
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2001
Selbach-Oster Riesling-Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer ($16.99)
Pale straw in color, this wine has a forward, very pretty
nose of lemon citrus and cream. It's crisp on entry with
good acidity and delivers lemon and tart-apple flavors. This
is a dry, light-bodied Riesling with a creamy texture. The
acidity is there from the crisp start to the lemony finish.
It was especially good with the fish. Imported by Michael
Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.
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2001
Domaine des Sources, Vin de Pays du Gard ($9.99)
Pale straw in color, this white from the southern Rhone
Valley is a blend of Grenache Blanc (70%), Clairette (20%)
and Rolle (10%). The nose is musty, with aromas of wet leaves
and some hints of sulfur. Light bodied, it's quite astringent
and offers dry and spicy flavors. The spice notes linger.
It has plenty of length and finishes with tart lemon notes
and astringency. It was OK with the fish. Imported by Vinifrance
Imports, Inc., Arlington, VA.
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2001 Jean-Baptiste
Adam, Pinot Blanc Reserve, Alsace ($11.99)
Pale yellow in color, this wine has an attractive floral,
peach-blossom, nose with some sweetness and lemon-citrus
notes. It's drier than you would expect from the nose. Medium
bodied,
it's unctuous on the palate and offers lingering lemon and
cream flavors. Well structured, it has plenty of length
and good acidity for food. It finishes nicely with cream
notes. This wine was very good with the fish and served almost
like a subtle sauce for it. Each enhanced the other. The
first star of
this tasting. Imported by Chapin Cellars, LLC, Springfield,
VA.
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2001
Daniel Ghers, Pinnacles Chenin Blanc, Monterey County
($11.99)
Pale straw in color, this wine has an odd, off-putting
nose that's reminiscent of milk turning sour. Medium to full
bodied, it offers unique flavors that are difficult to pin
down:
sugared grapefruit? tart peach? green grapes? Whatever they
are, the flavors linger. It has good acidity and loads of
length. And it finishes with tart grapefruit notes. It was
excellent with the chicken and very good with the eggplant.
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2000 Martin
Schaetzel, Gewurztraminer Cuvee Reserve, Alsace ($17.99)
Pale gold in color, this wine has a forward, litchi and
honeysuckle nose. On the palate, it's medium bodied and unctuous.
It delivers a blend of sweet-litchi and spice flavors that
linger. It has loads of length, and on the finish, the spice
character takes precedence over the sweet. This wine was
outstanding both with the chicken and with the eggplant.
Imported by Vinifrance Imports, Inc., Arlington, VA.
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2002
Vega Sindoa, Rose Wine, Navarra ($6.99)
This
Spanish blend of Garnacha (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (50%)
has a beautiful red-pink color reminiscent of a well-made
Cosmopolitan. It has a sexy nose of rock candy and good vanilla.
Light to medium bodied, it offers forward, tart, grapefruit
and strawberry flavors. It's nicely structured, with good
fruit concentration and acidity. It finishes nicely, with
grapefruit-pith notes. It was great with the fish and excellent
with the beef. Imported by Tempranillo, Inc., Mamaroneck,
NY.
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2001
Foppiano Vineyards, Petite Sirah, Paso
Robles ($14.99)
This wine has a beautiful, deep, dark purple/magenta
color and long, lush legs. The nose is attractive, with aromas
of sweet plum and mushroom, accompanied by hints of beef
and spice. On the palate, it's medium bodied, with good concentration
and acidity. It offers beefy flavors, followed by tart plum
and spice notes. It has plenty of length and finishes with
crushed pepper and black licorice. It was outstanding with
the beef, cutting through the spice and bringing out the
meat flavors. Another star of this tasting.
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1999 Domaine St.
Damien, Gigondas ($15.99)
This Rhone blend of Grenache Noir and Mourvedre is deep
ruby in color and shows some clear glycerine around the
rim. It has gobs of legs and a forward nose of roses, with
some earth and licorice notes. "A bouquet of roses," commented
one taster. Medium to full bodied, it's nicely structured,
with supple tannins and good acidity. Bone dry, it offers
tart blue-plum and currant flavors along with loads of spice.
It has good length and a stark, chalk finish. It was very
good with the beef, adding another layer of spice to it.
Imported by Jeffrey M. Davies, Signature Selections, South
Kearny, NJ.
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2002
Woop Woop, Shiraz, South Eastern Australia ($11.99)
This wine is black cherry in color and has thick legs.
The nose is predominantly candied red cherry along with some
spice and earth notes. On the palate, it's medium bodied
and dry,
and it delivers plenty of cherry and wild-mushroom flavors.
There are some slate notes as well. It's nicely structured,
with good concentration, acidity, and supple tannins. It
finishes nicely with tobacco and tart plums. It was outstanding
with
the beef. Another star of this tasting. Imported by Epicurean
Wines, Seattle, WA.
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2001
St. Amant, Mohr-Fry Ranches Zinfandel, Lodi ($17.99)
Deep ruby with plentiful long legs, this wine has a big,
sweet, burnt-sugar nose with some underpinnings of sweet
red pepper. Medium bodied and elegant on the palate, it has
a great mouthfeel. It has a nice complexity to it as well,
delivering loads of sweet-fig, currant, and mushroom flavors,
and just
a hint of crushed black pepper. "A good old-fashioned
zin."
remarked one taster. Beautifully structured, it has
a long finish,
with sweet rock-candy and black-pepper notes. It was excellent
with the beef. Yet another star of this tasting.
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