Spice is nice; the right wine can make it better
Updated: 2009-08-01 08:10
By Maggie Beale(HK Edition)
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Thai wine like White Shiraz from Monsoon Valley goes well with spicy food such as Thai tapas. |
When matching spicy food and wine you have a choice: go for more of the same or opt for completely opposite flavors and textures.
Very hot or spicy foods such as Indian Vindaloo (be careful: it can be acidic) and Madras curries, Thai red or green curry, Singaporean spicy crab, really hot Beef Rendang (a heavy, meaty stew) and some Thai or Royal Nepalese dishes, often work best with sweeter white wines, demi-sec rather than sweet dessert wines, such as German Riesling; but don't discount reds, they can produce some surprising results
The texture of dessert wines can be too cloying for the palate and not refreshing enough to counteract the heat of the spicy food. Opposing flavors can reveal new taste sensations between food and wine and still refresh the mouth.
When choosing, consider the texture of wine and food, the acidity, the sweetness and the balance.
Sourness (citrus/vinegar) and salt in food suppresses any bitter taste in wine. The salt in food can tone down the bitterness and astringency of wine and can make sweet wines taste sweeter.
As sweetness in a dish increases awareness of bitterness and astringency in wine, it can change the character of the wine, making it drier, less fruity and even stronger. Food with more acidic elements will cut sourness in wine and make it taste rich and mellow. Bitter flavors in food increase the perception of bitter, tannic elements in wine.
Try a low-alcohol, fruity wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon - even a Bordeaux, or a Bandol ros for medium spicy dishes - the wine would be lost with a big Vindaloo. Fiery foods can make high-alcohol wines taste hotter, tannic reds more bitter and oak-aged whites too oaky.
The residual sugar in demi-sec wines, such as Riesling, Gewurtztraminer and Chenin Blanc, and in many ros wines will balance pepper-fiery foods. The idea is to match spice with spice as near in 'weight' as possible. The uplifting berry spice of a peppery Rhone blend can enhance some red-meat Nepalese Royal cuisine.
One good standby when faced with choice is to go for bubbles: sparkling Cava, Champagne, and some of the deliciously sparkling red wines from Australia such as Sparkling Shiraz and Sparkling Burgundy. These add to the atmosphere as they cool the tongue!
During a recent visit to Sai Wan I was delighted to see the new (albeit smaller) version of an old favorite, the Kathmandu, has been opened just across from The Westwood. Tel no: 2817-7811.
The original Kathmandu was established in 1999 by Bahadur K.C. Shiva on Old Bailey Street in Central. Shiva was also the co-founder of the SoHo dining area in 1995.
The wines at the new Kathmandu include a slightly zesty and aromatic Sauvignon Blanc from Spain, plus a minty Cabernet Sauvignon, an attractive mouth-filling Chardonnay, and a very mellow Merlot from Chile, and an Oak cask Merlot from the Argentine. There's also white Muscadet and a sparkling Blanc de Blanc produced in France. Good value at (average price) $46 per glass $25 during Happy Hour (until 7pm).
Specializing in Creative Royal Nepalese Cuisine and now with the addition of Spanish Tapas, there's a selection of both spicy and non-spicy dishes.
The new Kathmandu showcases a range of Mediterranean dishes using all-natural, organic Spanish and Himalayan Herbs and Spices - it's a tantalizingly new, low-fat cuisine made with no MSG, no animal fat and no cream or butter - making this menu one of the healthiest in the territory.
A personal favorite: bite-sized plump and juicy Momo (Nepalese dumplings), along with vegetable samosas and pan fried eggplant were enriched by the Spanish Sauvignon Blanc. Both the Chilean Merlot and the Merlot from the Argentine matched well with the spicy New Zealand lamb shank, slow cooked in Himalayan herbs.
Tried and matched on another visit to Kathmandu, the Sauvignon Blanc was just right with the ostrich brochettes kebab and salad and the shelled mixed seafood dish. A fellow wine critic had lamb curry while another had seafood Biryani; sharing the dishes, they opted for the Muscadet and the Chardonnay.
It shows how by carefully matching wines to the cuisine, even the spiciest dish can be better.
(HK Edition 08/01/2009 page3)