Matching Wines with the Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet Foods of Asia (4/4)

Given these structural and aroma/flavor advantages, there are few wines that perform as well with Chinese or Southeast Asian style hot pots of beef or pork; especially when punctuated by peppercorns, garlic, scallions, and the licoricey tastes of star anise, cilantro or coriander, and sacred basil. Then there is the seemingly vast range of small production Italian and California wines that utilize these varietals as blending elements – Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese with Tempranillo, Barbera with Nebbiolo, Zinfandel with Barbera, et al. While unorthodox, the good thing about these innovative “Italianate” wines is that they fit in with many of the unorthodox styles of fusion cooking being done all around the world. To wit:if Asian cooking is untraditional with wine, the best wines for Asian foods may very well be the most untraditional, imaginative blends. Into the Realm of Good Sense There is no reason to fear wine with Asian foods as long as your choices are based upon the premise that the highest percentage chances of achieving a perfectly delicious match are found in crisply balanced, moderately scaled whites, or sweetly fruit forward reds (whether light or big) that are also round, smoothly textured, and (especially) spice toned. To that, you can probably add sweetly aromatic, smoothly dry or off-dry pink wines, not to mention crisp, lively sparklers. But when you think about it, if you can find wines to match the most difficult Asian foods, you can probably find just as many to match more of the foods we love to eat; like spicy marinades, salty chips, heavy mayo salads, and even loaded up cheeseburgers and hot dogs. If wine is to ever become an American staple, it has to be treated like one: as a sensible part of our lives and meals!