Thai & Wine

We approach wine and food matching with caution. Too many articles on the subject lead to a glazing over of the eyes and wonderings as to whether the author resides lives on your planet.

It’s impossible to keep this sort of project simple, but we tried hard to minimise the complexity. First we talked it over with the principals of “Longrain”, one of Australia’s most highly-rated Thai restaurants. Sommelier Sam Christie was enthusiastic from the start, and we soon had a menu with which to conjure. The Winewise panel got together and selected the wines, some of which were decidedly ‘left-field’ because we didn’t want to pre-judge all  combinations.

We then assembled a group of knowledgeable wine and food people, some professional, some not, to partake of the wine and food at “Longrain”. The menu covers the classic Thai flavours of sweet, hot and sour. However, we didn’t want every course to blaze with heat, because the wine-matching exercise would have become meaningless.

We were not seeking to declare that we had discovered the perfect combination of a particular wine with a particular dish. That kind of reporting is subjectivity in the extreme. What we did hope to achieve was to offer our suggestions regarding the affinities or otherwise of certain wine styles with these dishes. The discussion to that end was robust, vigorous and loud. Here’s what we tried, together with comments on each combination.

Freshly shucked Pacific oysters with red chilli, lime juice an crispy eschalots

2000 Chablis (Louis Michel)

2003 Petaluma Riesling

2003 Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc

Tradition says that chablis works, and a majority of our diners found that it did, although a few noted that it struggled to cope with the hot acid dressing, your editor among them. Phil Trickett made a good point in suggesting that the chablis was better suited to Sydney rock oysters because the Pacifics are very strongly flavoured.

The combination with the riesling had strong support, the intense flavour of the Petaluma coping quite well with the multiple sensations of the dish. However the strongest support was for the match with the Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc. The power, varietal character, acidity and minerality of the wine combined beautifully with the components of the dish to such an extent that the whole flavour sensation exceeded the sum of the parts.

Verdict: With this dish, a dry wine white with positive flavour and zippy acidity is the way to go. The editor’s choice is the sauvignon blanc, as much for its match with the flavour of the oysters as for its ability to cope with the dressing.

Eggnet with pork, prawns, peanuts, bean sprouts and sweet vinegar

2003 Petaluma Riesling

2003 Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc

2003 Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Gris

Pedro Romero Manzanilla Sherry

Only two wines were supported here – the sauvignon blanc and the pinot gris. The Petaluma was only half the wine it was with the oysters, the sharpness of the dish, stripping the flavour from the wine. The sherry was drinkable with the food, but simply dominated it. Although the eggnet dish accentuated the acidity of the sauvignon blanc, the pairing was still enjoyable, but there was a clear-cut winner here. The pinot gris drew an 80% yes vote, and from the editor’s point of view, the match verged on sublime.

Verdict: The slight sweetness of the pinot gris coped beautifully with the acid and sweetness of the dish. Interestingly, where dryness worked with the first course, it didn’t do as well here, the absence of chilli being one factor. Another very important factor was the difference in the types of acidity. The ‘clean’ acid of the lime suited the sauvignon blanc much better than the acetic acid of the vinegar. The latter really needed the sweetness of the pinot gris to offset it.                                                

Betel Leaves with smoked trout, chilli, garlic, galangal and trout roe

2003 Nautilus Marlborough Pinot Gris

2002 Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken (Bassermann-Jordan)

2002 Pipers Brook Estate Chardonnay

Here we had overwhelming (90%) support for the German riesling. The wine has around 7.0 gm/litre of residual sugar, which, allied with its crisp acidity, worked beautifully with the complex flavours and mild chilli of the dish. The chardonnay was made to look fat and buttery, and in a vivid demonstration of how food can change the flavour of wine, the pinot gris plummeted from grace, tasting soft and lacking structure. Having only partly recovered from the rhapsodic experience of the previous course, the editor couldn’t believe this one would be better, but it was.

Verdict: Once again chilli and acidity worked well, but there was more to it than that. The smoked trout is a powerful, slightly oily ingredient, and it needed an intense, crisply acidic wine to deal with it. Quite simply, the German white was really made for this dish. However, sweeter styles may not work as well.

Grilled Caramelised ocean trout with banana blossom, lime leaf and crispy garlic

2002 Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken (Bassermann-Jordan)

2002 Pipers Brook Estate Chardonnay

2003 Heggies Vineyard Viognier

2003 Moondara Rosé

There was support for all the wines, but the majority leaned to the riesling and the viognier. Winewise’s Fred Schilling voted for the chardonnay and ocean trout combination in our best pairing of the night poll, feeling that flavour and texture-wise, the wine was just right. Others leaned to the linear nature and raciness of the riesling to partner the trout, the flavour of which was the dominant component on the plate. Several hands went up for the viognier – with good cause. The hint of spiciness in the hit the right note with the gingery nature of the wine. Guest Tim Stock, sommelier of considerable note, is firmly against serving viognier with fish like ocean trout and salmon. The rosé drew only luke-warm support because its softness and fruitiness, while pleasant, wasn’t supported by enough acidity to excel here. The editor leaned to the riesling, but it was better with the previous course.

Verdict: The answer here was probably a slightly less buttery chardonnay – perhaps even an unwooded one. We could see Fred’s point in supporting the Pipers Brook, but not all elements of the wine were positive with the food.

Green curry of minced kingfish with snake beans, baby corn and Thai basil

2002 Wolfberger Gewürztraminer

2003 Gapsted Petit Manseng

2003 Heggies Vineyard Viognier

2003 Vietta Cascinetta Moscato d’Asti

This was always going to be the most challenging course. The curry certainly wasn’t of palate-scalding heat, but it was hot enough to trouble most wines. That being said, the petit Manseng shone through, with 80% support. It’s a very flavoursome wine, but it was the level of sweetness that carried it through here. Some sweetness was definitely need to deal with the curry, and the medium-sweet petit Manseng was just right. The Alsace wine, though slightly less sweet, had the flavour and spiciness to do the job. If there was a prize for best argument-provoker of the evening, it would have gone to the moscato. Half the group felt it was just too sweet, and that the sweetness dominated the food. Len Sorbello argued passionately for the fizzy little Italian, saying that it was appropriately sweet for the curry, and that the cold temperature of the wine and the gentle sparkle helped clear the palate. The editor leaned towards the opinion of his learned friend Sorbello. The viognier, good wine though it is, was simply not in the hunt with this dish.

Verdict: The only clear result here is that if you wish to drink wine with a curry, be it Thai or Indian, sweetness is essential. How much sweetness is obviously a very personal thing.

Caramelised pork hock with chilli vinegar

2002 Wolfberger Gewürztraminer

2003 Gapsted Petit Manseng

2001 Condrieu (Faury)

2002 Morgon (Marcel Lapierre)

1998 Yalumba D Black

Although this was probably the dish of the night, it caused almost as much dissention as the curry. The richness and crispness of the pork was married beautifully to the classic Thai trio – sweet, hot and sour. That delightful union caused problems for the wines. The best wine on the table was the Condrieu (viognier) but, although intense and textured, it didn’t have the sweetness to cope, and the food tended to dry it out. The petit manseng again had its share of support, and worked to some extent, but didn’t quite have the intensity to go all the way. Similarly, the gewürztraminer fought the good fight, but the prominent sweetness of this dish was hard for it to overcome. Enter the Beaujolais. Surprisingly this dry, soft-tannined wines with delicious fruit sweetness matched quite well. We imagine a young fruit-driven pinot noir would also be suitable. However, the Yalumba Black was the star performer, it’s richness, sweetness, fine tannins, coldness and bubbles all combining to pair well with the pork hock. The editor enjoyed both the Beaujolais and the sparkling red.

Verdict: Sweetness in the wine (whether fruit or sugar-derived)  is again essential in matching sweet-chilli food.

Crispy skin Barossa chicken with a spiced blood plum sauce

2001 Condrieu (Faury)

2002 Morgon (Marcel Lapierre)

1998 Yalumba D Black

This dish surprised us with its sweetness, and, quite frankly, the first two wines didn’t fare well. The Yalumba D again got a strong thumbs-up, although the editor had overdosed on sugar by this stage.

Verdict: Sweet wins again, but this combination was very sweet indeed. We can’t think of a style that would do as well as a sparkling red with this dish.

Venison Hotpot

2002 Torbreck Juveniles

2000 De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz

2001 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz

At last – something both savoury and spicy. Both the sweet-fruit Juveniles and the elegant De Bortoli Shiraz had much to offer with the hotpot. The Kilikanoon was too firm and oaky for the dish, the spices tending to accentuate the dryness. The editor leans to the Juveniles, feeling that even the De Bortoli is made look a little too dry.

Verdict: Although this wasn’t a chilli-hot dish, the spiciness of it had a similar effect on the wine. The richness demanded red, but one with good flavour and gentle tannins.

This food and wine exercise challenged all 16 participants. Some matches were clear-cut. Others proved discussion that will probably still be going on when you read this article. The success of the Mt Difficulty Sauvignon Blanc with the oysters, the Nautilus Pinot Gris with the eggnet and the Bassermann-Jordan Riesling with the betel leaf were eye-openers for the editor. They produced some of the most exciting, uplifting flavour sensations he’d experienced for quite a while.

We extend our thanks to all participants, and to the professional, friendly staff of “Longrain”, a restaurant we recommend without hesitation. We’re particularly grateful for the efforts of “Longrain’s” Sam Christie and Martin Boetz who supported this even so strongly.

Longrain

85 Commonwealth St

Surry Hills

Tel: 02 92802888