Pairing Wines with Unusual Foods

Dunno about the others, but I had a 1997 Loloins Zinfandel that was so peppery I'd almost say it was defective. It stood up to wasabi and was excellent with maguro (tuna sashimi) and with hot sausage. It overpowered most other foods though.

Jose

The problem here is that Thai and Mexican cooking are far from monolithic, so there is no one answer. However, I have some general thoughts:

spicy Thai curries and stir-fries: Chenin Blanc from the Loire (Savennieres, Vouvray) or a powerhouse Riesling from Alsace or the Mosel.

Tex-Mex: beer, or if wine is a must, something not too precious. A big Zin will work if there's not too much tomato in the dish.

sushi: sparkling wine, Muscadet, Sancerre, Puilly-Fumé or a more restrained NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

tofu: a tablua rasa like chicken, entirely dependent on what sauce it's in. In principle, most any wine will go with it.

Sparkling wine is my all-purpose fallback wine for weird pairings, but beer is often a better choice for a lot of these foods IMO.

Mark Lipton

I'd add - more fruit driven, than alcohol driven here.

I'd add - some fruitier CA SB's. Groth comes to MY mind here.

Some years back, Mark Miller did a tasting of "Oriental" (really broad selection here!) and several "food wines," Beck's, and Brute Rosé. While each beverage paired OK with some, the Brute Rosé was the HIT with ALL. Can't find my notes now, but it seems that it was a CA sparkler, Iron Horse, but I could be wrong about that.

Just my 02¢, Hunt

sushi and wine:

wine and asian food:

Alexander