WTN: Wines with Asian food

[Jenise]

With pork and shrimp dumplings finished with chinese black vinegar and serrano chiles, 2005 Chateau de Segries Tavel. Much as I enjoy rose, Tavels often have a volatile nose and a slightly sherried taste to me, and this was another along that line. Better with the food than alone. (14% alcohol).

With Malaysian Glazed Chicken Wings and a salad of enoki, shitake and celtuce in a white tamari dressing (recipe just posted in The Kitchen), 2005 Negroamaro Salento Rosato. We loved this wine last year but the 05's a disappointment. Underripe fruit struggles to make an impression then fades quickly into a cardboard-flavored finish. Halfway through the glass, I called off the hunt and dumped everyone's glasses, and filled them with this replacement:

2005 Colline Novaresi "Il Mimo" Dry Rose of Nebbiolo. Ah, finally a wine I like. Superbly balanced tangy pomegranite fruit and spicy sandalwood. A joy.

Witha spicy beef penang and a pineapple padh thai with pea leaves, 2003 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Spatlese. Young but good--exceptionally complex flavors of lime leaf, pineapple, loquats, candied orange and grapefruit peel, lychee nuts and spice. I know I'm going to get reBueked for having killed an infant, but really David, it was SO good with the food.

... the 05's a disappointment. Underripe fruit struggles to make an impression then fades quickly into a cardboard-flavored finish.

Was it perhaps a bit corked?

[Jenise]

Nope, definitely not corked, John. We debated between whether to call the flavor cereal or cardboard, then decided empty cereal box was closest, but thinking that sounded too precious I opted for the simple "cardboardy", but it wasn't dank or moldy in anyway, just underripe.

i must be really hungry... the food sounded so much better than the wine!!! Lucky Bob!!

[David M. Bueker]

No problem drinking the 2003s early Jenise. It's an odd vintage, so all bets are of as regard ageability. Plus they seem to be staying open for business rather than shutting down.

[Jenise]

Then I'm glad I opened it, David; obviously it was drinking well enough. Strange that it was an 03--I was certain that it was an 02, and in fact it's in my inventory that way. I know the 03s were coming in when I bought these, so one was on the shelf and I didn't realize it.

If we're tralking Thai food...I highly recommend a spicy Riesling or an off-sweet Gewurztraminer.

It pairs well with the curry sauces and garlic in those dishes.



Tom Ka Gai!

Agree with you 100% on the Gunderloch. Pretty awesome stuff and hard not to drink it now.

With asian food especially hot and spicy my favorite has to be Ronco Brolio by conte D'attimis. it is a fantastic white made up of Chardonnay and Pinot bianco aged in Slovanian barrels. its a White that i usually treat as a red. Dry to right point. Lov'it

[James Roscoe]

With the spicy Asian food I often go to a nice GV. I wouldn't have tought about a rose. Are you sure the rosato wasn't off? I'm going to pretend I didn't read that as I have two in the que ready to be drunk. I guess I know why I got them for $7.