UNUSUAL PAIRS

From Chinese banquets to sushi feasts, wine is now commonly matched with Asian cuisine. Former food critic Reggie Ho toasts some classic – and surprising – pairings

Ibegan my life as a journalist back in 1990s, as a food critic. The word “fusion” was in vogue but nobody knew what it really meant. But one good thing that came out of that fad was the push for the restaurant industry to think about matching wines with non-Western food.

Wine drinking has become a global culture, and it’s not only in Western restaurants where diners are seen swirling their glasses and sipping fine vintages – at everywhere from sushi bars to bulgogi tables, grape wines are being served to complement the food.

And of course, it is now commonplace to enjoy some wine in midair while journeying to your next destination – and the inflight meals are just as international as your itinerary.

In the early days, people found it difficult to match non-Western food with wines, which are often produced with Western cuisine in mind. Making it more complicated is the fact that Asian dishes are often served altogether instead of in courses, so one has to choose a wine that can complement a range of different flavours and textures.

If there is one tip worth sharing, it’s that choosing wine is about being open-minded. I remember a lunch at The Verandah at The Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong, where I was trying out a special Thai menu with local wine connoisseur Lau Chi-sun, currently a wine consultant for Cathay Pacific. Everyone thought the curry crab should be paired with a white, but he suggested that we try it with the shiraz, and as it turned out, the spices in the sauce went really well with those in the wine.

That was some years ago and it seems that sommeliers and wine experts, after much experimenting, have become more confident with Asian food and Western wine pairings.

FRESH CATCH FROM JAPAN

Food from Japan has taken the world by storm, and while ramen is certainly the trend du jour it will never replace the global status of sushi. How many other cultures can make uncooked fish into a culinary art form? This Japanese export is now enjoyed in all major cities – from London, Paris and Berlin to New York, Rio and Buenos Aires, everyone has gone sushi-crazy. Even in Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan, many restaurants offer a separate sushi menu in addition to their main ones.

In fact, this dish has become such a world cuisine that many famous restaurants serving it don’t even have Japanese origins, such as Zuma, an international group of Japanese restaurants that began life in London.

“When it comes to pairing wines with Japanese cuisine, I believe aromatic varietals are the most forgiving – German Riesling with a touch of residual, Alsatian varietals, New Zealand pinot gris and some cool climate Australian whites,” says Samuel Davies, head sommelier/wine manager – Asia, at Zuma Hong Kong.

“The wine can’t be too bold or oakdominant. Freshness and balance of acidity with pure mineral extract in whites work well with Zuma’s sushi and maki selection.”

He uses three sushi dishes for illustration. With ebi tempura maki, which consists of tempura prawns, pickled gobo and wasabi mentaiko sauce, he suggests the J.J. Prüm, 2007 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese from Mosel, Germany. This Riesling has wonderful volume in aromatics, with bright green apple, nashi pear, apricot and jasmine flower. The palate has a touch of residual from the late harvest grapes, but the incredible thing about J.J. Prüm’s wines is that they all have an acute mineral core, which keeps the wines fresh with razor sharp acidity. The prawns are naturally sweet, and with a textural crunch from the tempura and pickled gobo, the Riesling helps to highlight these features in the maki well.

The very delicate tsuri aji sushi, comprising hand-caught horse mackerel sushi with gingan sauce (mirin, soy, salt and dashi) and dried tuna flakes, is matched with Weingut Knoll, 2008 Vinothekfullung Gruner Veltliner from Smaragd in Austria.

“This pairing is more about the piece of sushi than the wine. The horse mackerel’s texture is softened with the addition of a small amount of gingan sauce, and the dried tuna flakes bring out a slight saltiness in the fish,” Davis says.

“Incredibly well balanced, with a creamy texture and a real sense of umami, this Gruner Veltliner is from the cult producer Knoll. The best thing about this wine – being from 2008 – is that through a few years bottle age has softened, and become oily, broad, fine but structured.”

Finally, for hirame sashimi, which is a fluke sashimi with dried uni (sea urchin) and ponzu sauce, he recommends Billecart-Salmon, 2000 Cuvee NicolasFrancois Brut, from Mareuil-sur-Ay in France.

“This prestige cuvee is produced from a boutique house in the Champagne region, and the 2000 vintage is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir,” he explains.

“Although 13 years old, it is acute, precise and sharp as ever. The fragrance is delicate and restrained, with soft citrus notes and a touch of marzipan; the palate shows great power and depth, with razor sharp acidity, and a fine mineral core.”

As the fish has a rather creamy texture, it is often prepared with a citrus-y ponzu sauce, and the acidity of this Champagne complements it and cuts through the fish well.

MADE IN CHINA

One would be hard-pressed to think of a city where there is not a Chinese restaurant. When I crossed the border from Gibraltar to La Línea de la Concepción in Spain – and every Spaniard I have told this to asked me, “Why the hell were you there?”– the first two places greeting me were a McDonald’s and a Chinese restaurant.

But Chinese cuisine is a very general term and every region of the vast country that is China has a dish on the global pop chart. From southern China it would be dim sum, and from the western part of the country, it may be kung pao chicken. If a national dish of China had to be named, however, it would likely be Peking duck.

This quintessential Chinese dish has gone through evolution in recent years. The best that I have eaten was not in Beijing, where chefs tend to slice the meat too thick. One of the most refined versions I have sampled is from the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin, Hong Kong, where the wafer-thin crispy skin from the hulk can be eaten with a touch of sugar to bring out that intense poultry flavour. Of course, you may also eat other parts of the duck with a steamed pancake and hoi sin sauce.

So what is the best wine to go with the bird? The director of food & beverage at the Hyatt Regency Sha Tin, gave me two recommendations. The first one is the Clarendelle Blanc, Clarence Dillon Wines, 2011, from Bordeaux, France, a semillon and sauvignon blanc blend with fresh notes of peach and pear, a medium body and white fruit flavours. It is dry with mineral acidity, and perfectly complements seafood, pork or poultry. But perhaps an even better match – as duck, unlike other types of poultry, is a “heavier”meat – is the Clarendelle Rouge 2007. A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, this wine has a hint of coffee and stewed prune, with a chocolaty depth. The well-balanced acidity with spice and tobacco richness on the finish pairs well with poultry, pork or beef.

PAN-ASIAN TOUR

Asia is unique in the sense that there is a culture of going to a local hotel to eat like one would go to a standalone restaurant. Five-star hotels, not surprisingly, have diverse and sizeable wine lists so I turned to a sommelier at one of these properties for advice on wine matching.

Ringo Lam from Kowloon Shangri-La is one of the city’s few female sommeliers. Two of the hotel’s most famous restaurants are Shang Palace, a Cantonese restaurant, and Nadaman, a branch of the Shangri-La group’s well established chain of Japanese outlets.

Instead of a special bottle, Lam offers suggestions in varietals that would go with a few of the classic Asian dishes.

At Shang Palace, Lam uses crispy lobster with oatmeal as an example. She

recommends Champagne as the best match because the “high proportion of Chardonnay has a lovely aroma of citrus, peach & brioche. Lobster is a prefect harmony with oatmeal when sautéed with butter and herbs, as it brings out the freshness of the fish.”

For thinly slices of fresh flounder from Nadaman, she thinks a viognier would do well. “This aromatic grape has jasmine, apricot, peach, and even a perfume smell on the nose. Flounder is a kind of delicate, creamy and mildly meaty white fish. Viognier has enough body and a complex texture to stand out well with this fatty fish,” she explains.

At the hotel’s all-day dining venue Kool, pan-Asian dishes are featured on the menu, which presents some interesting challenges for the sommelier.

For gaeng phed ped yang (Thai red curry with duck), Lam says that Gewurztraminer from Alsace or New Zealand is a good choice. “In Thailand, red curries that are medium-hot are often served with rice. A medium sweet white wine will calm the chilli taste and also emphasise the texture of the sauce,” she says.

“Gewurztraminer is an absolute delight when paired with Southeast Asian food, as it goes well with lemongrass, coriander and coconut.” How about a very spicy vindaloo? “A well chilled rose – syrah or merlot based – such as a La Vielle Ferme Rhone Valley Rose or Rosato Petjades of Torello. This dish uses meat and garlic, and the refreshing acidity of rose wine cleanses the palate. Its fruity and well balanced flavour interact with the chilli for a pleasing sensation.”

For gogigui (Korean barbecue), Lam recommends Tempranillo from Spain. “[This wine] is juicy, herb-scented and has generally soft tannins. It goes well with Korean barbecues as it has an intense fruity character with a slightly oaky flavour.”

UP IN THE AIR

While a dining experience on the plane will never be as good as being at your favourite restaurant, one has to appreciate that major carriers have upped the ante with their food and beverage offerings in recent years. Against all the restrictions imposed on airline catering, lobster in black bean sauce and premium steaks have made it to inflight menus, with carefully chosen wine lists to match.

There is something very pleasant about being able to switch off for a few hours and enjoy a good glass of wine with a threecourse meal served to your seat. And as the menu differs from one route to another and is constantly updated, inflight dining has become an experience and not just a necessity.

I turned to Singapore Airlines’ International Culinary Panel for wine suggestions to go with the classic Hainanese chicken rice and satay.

For the former, I was told that either chardonnay or red Burgundy (pinot noir) would do. “Rich, full-bodied whites go well with chicken and rich flavoured rice. Red Burgundy can be an interesting match with fruity notes,” the expert says.

As Business Traveller Asia-Pacific went to press, the airline was serving a 2010 Trefethen Family Vineyards, Harmony Chardonnay, from California’s Napa Valley, and either the 2005 or 2008 Louis Latour Chateau Corton Grancey Grand Cru on first class between Singapore and San Francisco. In business, there is not a red Burgundy but the 2010 La Crema Monterey Chardonnay from Monterey, US, is on offer.

For satay, I was advised to uncork a shiraz or Krug. “A fruity red with smoky character would go with the rich, sweet and slightly spicy dish, and a full-bodied sparkling like Krug would also be interesting,” the expert says.

On the first class wine list of the same route, there is a Krug Grande Cuvee and a St Hallet Blackwell Shiraz 2010 from Barossa, Australia. In business class, one may try another Barossa shiraz – a 2011 vintage from Dandelion Vineyards called Lionheart of the Barossa.

There is never a definite answer on what wines work best with popular Asian dishes, and different experts can have varied opinions on the same pairing. Ultimately, it comes down to personal taste – and you can only know if a pairing works for you if you try it.