WE’VE BEEN BLESSED

by our migrant communities in Australia. The Italians, Chinese and Greeks came early on and gave us a kaleidoscopic palette to work with in our kitchens. As other vibrant populations arrived, we got a swathe of cuisines from Southeast Asia, notably Thai and Vietnamese. From the Middle East we were gifted late-night lamb sandwiches. Along with the grilled meats, pide and technicolour dips were exotic spices.

The breadth of this international cuisine is one of Australia’s great cultural touchstones. But with it, food and drink matching is an inexact science. One-sizefits-all solutions are tricky, but there are a couple of landmarks to work with if you want to elevate your dining experience.

Italian food, with its tomato-based sauces, hearty ragus, casual pastas and grilled meats, works a treat with light-to-medium-bodied reds with some tannin. I am a huge fan of Italian grape varieties grown in Australia, and ideal with our Oz-Italian meals are nebbiolo, sangiovese or the increasingly popular, brightly flavoured nero d’avola.

It’s tough to apply a broad drinks match to Southeast Asia, but with a baseline of chill, ginger and garlic as seasoning, I’m reaching for icy-cold riesling, semillons or frisky white blends. Crisp, clean young whites work a treat in cooling the heat of spice, or simply refreshing the palate.

Step into Middle Eastern dining circles and rosé wines go with just about everything. Meat cooked over coals, pickled vegetables, tabbouleh and flatbreads smeared in hearty dips all have a perfect synergy with dry, spicy rosés.

Then there’s what I call “the beer cuisines”. It’s no denigration of culture, but sometimes a dry lager or lightly hopped ale is the best answer to a regional style of food that has heartiness, heat from spice, or exotic flavours. I’m looking squarely at my Indian takeaway and my homemade burritos and tacos.