It’s generally best to rely on instinct when it comes to pairing wine and food. American, French or Italian dishes have many delicious wine partners but when we bring lemon grass, ginger, and curry into the picture, we have a whole different ball game on our hands.

The first rule when it comes to pairing wine with the flavours from Asia is not to talk about Asian cuisine as a singular entity. Dishes can include anything from absolutely subtle to vibrantly spiced – the type that make your mouth tingle.

The flavours of soy sauce, fish sauce, chilies, ginger, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, hoisin sauce, plus spices and herbs like cardamom, cumin, coriander, five spice, curry powder, and Thai basil can be hard on wine. As wonderful as they are in a dish, these flavors can flatten many wines, rob them of their fruity characteristics, and make them taste bitter, oaky, or too high in alcohol.

Hot Dishes Need Low Alcohol

• Riesling’s  – Excellent acidity and slight sweetness counters heat.
• Lighter-bodied wines such as Pinot Grigio’s
• Champagne and sparkling wines – Effervescence can counteract “burn” of alcohol and won’t intesify the heat.

Spicy Dishes needs something crisp

Snappy, clean, high-acid wines are right in sync with Asian flavours. Try a Sauvignon Blanc with these characteristics with spicy Asian food or opt for a Gewürztraminer.

Herbaceous Dishes needs something fresh

A crisp and clean Chenin Blanc or a Pinot Grigio.

For the red wine fan

If you prefer red wine, then go for big and jammy. Full-throttled, berry-fruited Zinfandels, Rhone blends, and Syrahs are all great matches.

And don’t forget Rosé. This unsung hero of a wine category is just begging to be drunk with Asian dishes. The single best match of all might be a Rosé sparkling wine or Champagne.

Wines to avoid with Asian Food

• Chardonnay. Very oaky, toasty Chardonnays taste like 2-by-4s when paired with strong Asian flavours.
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Tannic wines like these fight with Asian flavors and the wines lose. They end up tasting bitter lean, and mean.