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Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 8:09:09 PM   
wine4wine

 

Posts: 34
Joined: 11/4/2015
From: Just moved to PA, USA
Status: offline 		My wife and I have plans this weekend to go to a nice Asian restaurant. She usually orders one of the vegetable or chicken dishes in a garlic (brown) sauce. I always get the chicken pad Thai. We both add some of their house made crushed red peppers for additional spice. This restaurant is a BYO, and we know it might not be a perfect match, but is there a type of wine which someone can suggest that we could split and would work well with both these dishes? Any suggestions would be appreciated, thank you.
Post #: 1
RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 8:23:08 PM   
CranBurgundy

 

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From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline 		"Just moved to PA"? PM me which area and we could work on an offline at a good BYOB if you're in SE PA near Philly.

We like to pair Thai with Sauternes. Riesling is our choice otherwise. Lighter bodied Burgundies can be really tasty too, but that might be just me since I'd match them with even breakfast cereal.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 8:34:13 PM   
ericindc

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

"Just moved to PA"? PM me which area and we could work on an offline at a good BYOB if you're in SE PA near Philly.

We like to pair Thai with Sauternes. Riesling is our choice otherwise. Lighter bodied Burgundies can be really tasty too, but that might be just me since I'd match them with even breakfast cereal.


Interesting you would say sauternes. I agree with you but its rare that people would say that. I find it works really well. Especially the Guiraud style. I would also say a fruity, low tannin merlot, Beaujolais, grenache, or frappato. Traditionally, of course, a lightly sec riesling, chenin, etc would be ok.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 8:38:21 PM   
champagneinhand

 

Posts: 10281
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From: Upstate New York, California born.
Status: offline 		Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Voivray are my top choices, but you could easily through in some Moscato and any off dry white with a nice mineral core good fruit which could include some grapes from the Southern Rhone, but I prefer a lower ABV so I would stick to Germany, Austrian, and Alsace/Vouvray or their Finger Lake/Niagara/MI areas as well as the West Coast.

If you went "Great balks of fire spicy," throw in some aperitif wines from Sauternes/Barsac, Sparking wine or champagne in that Sec, Demi-Sec range or SGN and Auslese style Riesling, even Eiswein/Ice wine for that creamy texture.

We have a good sized Loation community so we get good SE Asian, with Thai, Viet, Lao speciaties, but I also dig Singapore noodles and Korean Bokum and hot pots as well. All great with the above whites.

If you go with beef in the meal, perhaps some Zins but I would want it served no warmer than cellar temperature.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 10:00:24 PM   
dsGris

 

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Status: offline 		Demi-sec Riesling with spicy food for me. The biggest mistake was ordering a glass of Syrah with Pok Pok hot wings.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/22/2017 11:38:42 PM   
PinotPhile

 

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From: Southern CA
Status: offline 		+1 on Riesling and Gewurz. Agree that sparkling wines are very versatile. Same for many Rose' vinos. My first choice would probably be Riesling.

Cheers!



< Message edited by PinotPhile -- 8/22/2017 11:39:44 PM >

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 2:32:47 AM   
S1

 

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Status: offline 		The peanuts in Pad Thai are a wine killer.
Beer, or Demi-Sec Champagne if you must.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 3:26:12 AM   
Franklin 10

 

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Status: offline 		If you want a red, +1 on low tannin. We like Grenache, Zin, especially Carmenere.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 5:46:43 AM   
KPB

 

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From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline 		I prefer a semi-sweet Pinot Gris such as you often find in Alsace, or a Gewurtztraminer. Riesling can work too. What I'm after is good acidity, but also noticeable sweetness and floral or sweet citrus aromas and flavors. You need the acidity: a purely sweet wine, like a Sauternes would often be too sweet but not crisp enough, or a VT Pinot Gris: too sugary to work with the flavors of the food, and they wouldn't cut through the heavier sauces. Yet at the other end of the spectrum, a very dry wine (like a steel-fermented California Chardonnay or a crisp Chablis) wouldn't stand out or be interesting.

Red wines are often harmed if you drink them with spicy chili. The chili shifts your taste palate and the red wine will often taste harsh and bitter.

So you want to steer away from very sweet wines, but stay with white wines, and aim for that slight level of sweetness and the very floral, orange, lively aroma and palate.

Alsace specializes in such wines but in fact many areas make them.

Another interesting option is to go for an off-dry sherry, or even a Madeira. Not your question, but if this were for a very expensive kind of meal, it could be a moment to open a birth-year Madiera, for example.

< Message edited by KPB -- 8/23/2017 5:49:09 AM >

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 5:49:52 AM   
River Rat

 

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Status: offline 		Chenin Blanc! Huet LeMont Sec is one of my favorite spicy food pairings.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 6:27:27 AM   
Eddie

 

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Status: offline 		Extra spicy East/Southeast-Asian food is about all I eat nowadays (when I'm cooking for myself), and I've never found a wine choice that satisfied me. Demi-sec Huet if you must, but I find a good German beer like Weihenstephaner Original or Planck Heller-Weizenbock beats any wine hands-down.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 5:41:19 PM   
grafstrb

 

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Status: offline 		off-dry Riesling. All. Day. Long.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 6:11:18 PM   
Smaragd

 

Posts: 720
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From: New York City
Status: offline 		No question at all: Smaragd-level Grüner Veltliner!

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/23/2017 6:14:15 PM   
Smaragd

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: grafstrb
"Terroir is not a flavor."


LOL!!

That reminds me of Dumb and Dumber... Jim Carrey: "What's the Soup du Jour?" Waitress: "It's the soup of the day". Jim Carrey: "MMMMM I'll have that!!"

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 12:59:33 PM   
grafstrb

 

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Status: offline 		That movie is so fantastic! One of the best "dumb humor" movies ever made.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 1:52:25 PM   
Blue Shorts

 

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quote:

The peanuts in Pad Thai are a wine killer.


Absolutely agree. The only wine that I have found to go well with peanuts is port.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 2:33:50 PM   
barolo300

 

Posts: 652
Joined: 1/11/2016
From: London, England
Status: offline 		Madeira... and everything. Including peanuts and asian food.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 2:38:25 PM   
Old Doug

 

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From: Atlanta, Georgia, US
Status: offline 		I would drink a whole lot of wine, and then eat the peanuts a little later.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 4:16:19 PM   
wizlb

 

Posts: 28
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Status: offline 		My wife and I just had this discussion last night, now I can to read a few of these messages to find out which wines will be a good match for spicy food.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 4:47:40 PM   
Hollowine

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: grafstrb

off-dry Riesling. All. Day. Long.


Game. Set. Match.

I'd also second the comment about Peanuts...might want to see what else is on the menu and start to broaden your food spectrum as well. Best dinners I've had were at Thai restaurants where we had a spectrum of dishes with a spectrum of German Rieslings across the entire Pradikat spectrum.

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Post #: 20
RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 7:28:16 PM   
CranBurgundy

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Blue Shorts

quote:

The peanuts in Pad Thai are a wine killer.


Absolutely agree. The only wine that I have found to go well with peanuts is port.


Oh, I think there's some disagreement on that.

https://www.cellartracker.com/forum/tm.asp?m=290274&mpage=1&key=peanuts񆻏

https://www.cellartracker.com/forum/tm.asp?m=265074&mpage=1&key=peanuts񀮋

https://www.cellartracker.com/forum/tm.asp?m=136656&mpage=154&key=peanuts񥚲

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 7:30:19 PM   
fingers

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Old Doug

I would drink a whole lot of wine, and then eat the peanuts a little later.


I still like this approach.

But yeah, Riesling is the right call as long as you take more than 1 bottle per person

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Post #: 22
RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 7:41:08 PM   
CranBurgundy

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ericindc


quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

We like to pair Thai with Sauternes.


Interesting you would say sauternes. I agree with you but its rare that people would say that. I find it works really well. Especially the Guiraud style.


Bingo - Guiraud ('01, '05 or '07) is exactly what we bring to the Thai BYOB near us.

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Purple Drankin' Cretin.

Vote NO on Proposition S1ct1516 "BAN the CRAN!" this Election Day.

“Let it be recorded: henceforth, December 15 shall be known as 'The Day of Dennis'.” - Prof. Ken "KPB" Birman, 12/17/23

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/24/2017 10:21:10 PM   
Smaragd

 

Posts: 720
Joined: 2/3/2017
From: New York City
Status: offline 		Ok, two of you mentioned Guiraud sauternes specifically and Eric above cited the "guiraud style"

I'm curious how you think of Guiraud compared to other sauternes. I have never had Guiraud but have a 2005 waiting to open.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 12:04:15 PM   
grafstrb

 

Posts: 8834
Joined: 11/6/2007
From: LAla land
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: fingers


quote:

ORIGINAL: Old Doug

I would drink a whole lot of wine, and then eat the peanuts a little later.


I still like this approach.

But yeah, Riesling is the right call as long as you take more than 1 bottle per person

^^ truth.

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Terroir is not a flavor.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 1:12:07 PM   
Old Doug

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

Bingo - Guiraud ('01, '05 or '07) is exactly what we bring to the Thai BYOB near us.


Agree 100% on the sweet ones with Thai food. Just thinking about the cool, sweet wine with that rather "high-pitched" spiciness....mouthwatering.

Grüner Veltliner - my wife and I both have really liked this with Thai food. There's often a peppery quality in the wine that goes with the food well, and a good amount of cleansing acidity.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 1:45:57 PM   
Smaragd

 

Posts: 720
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From: New York City
Status: offline 		BUMP still want an answer to my Guiraud Sauternes question darnit! :) Having a dinner party tomorrow and wondering if I should serve it.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 4:52:02 PM   
KPB

 

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From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline 		I wouldn't, if it were me. I think the wine will be too sweet and at the same time, will feel too light, and just won't fit the dinner. Serve it with a coconut custard desert: then, it will be great.

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RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 5:38:41 PM   
Smaragd

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: KPB

I wouldn't, if it were me. I think the wine will be too sweet and at the same time, will feel too light, and just won't fit the dinner. Serve it with a coconut custard desert: then, it will be great.


what about with a peach cobbler dessert?

my alternate desert wine option is a trockenbeerenauslese from Knoll - '99

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Post #: 29
RE: Which wine pairs with spicy food? - 8/25/2017 7:01:09 PM   
KPB

 

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From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline 		Then you get super-sweet with super-sweet, no contrast at all. With a custard, the creamy texture contrasts with the acidity of the wine. I don't know the Knoll, but given the classification, it seems to me that the same observation would apply.

You could solve this by going with the cobbler and the Sauternes, but also (simultaneously), having them serve coffee. Then you get the sweet dessert and the sweet wine, but the coffee would be a kind of counterpoint. Bitter and very distinct. Espresso, maybe. Decaf doesn't change the flavor, if you worry about being up all night...

< Message edited by KPB -- 8/25/2017 7:03:16 PM >

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