The Wine Column

By Paul Daykin, K.C., and Bruno De Vita, K.C.*

WINE PAIRINGS (PART 2): ETHNIC FOOD In the May 2022 issue of the Advocate, we wrote about the “marriage of food and wine” and offered examples of wine pairings that work, as well as some that do not. This was a relatively easy task, since most of us—whether we are wine enthusiasts or not—won’t have too much trouble choosing a wine at our favourite French bistro or Italian trattoria.

In this column, we tackle the more challenging task of identifying wines that go well with a few different kinds of ethnic food. We chose this topic for a few reasons.

First, we recognize that in British Columbia we are blessed with a wonderful ethnic diversity, and all the food that goes with it. It was no surprise when the Michelin Guide, in October 2022, released its first review of Vancouver restaurants and recognized many Asian and South Asian restaurants in the regular and “Bib Gourmand” categories.1

Second, we often get questions from our friends and readers on this topic. While the most frequent question we get is “What’s a good red wine under $25?”, a close second is “What wine goes best with Chinese food?”

Third, it gave us a great opportunity to try some wines that fall outside the well-known categories, which we like to refer to as “the B’s”: Burgundy, Bordeaux, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello and so on.

Finally, we got to eat some delicious food.

For this article, we tackled four kinds of ethnic food that are well represented in local cuisine: Indian, Mexican, Japanese and Chinese. In each category, we found wines that would suit three different budgets: that of the

* Paul and Bruno are guest authors of the Wine Column, providing relief to Michael Welsh, K.C. The two have been tasting wine since they were about ten years old, when homemade wine was poured from big jugs into tiny tumblers at the De

Vita dinner table. The topic for this article was suggested by Paul’s wife, Rosie.

“student”, the “associate” and the “partner”. We apologize for the economic assumptions imbedded in this model.

Before we begin, we should mention the obvious: beer goes very well with all of these foods. But as this is a wine column and not a beer column, we chose not to burrow down that particular rabbit hole. The other thing worth mentioning is that one should never forget Rosé! Rosé goes well with all these foods, but that, we thought, would merit a column of its own.

INDIAN FOOD When Vikram Vij works the room, making sure his guests are enjoying their meals, he never uses the overworked phrase “How are the first few bites?” Rather, he asks, “How are the flavours?” In doing so, he captures the essence of Indian cuisine, in which the food is like a canvas on which the flavours are painted.

The rich sauces and generous use of blended spices that you will find in Indian cuisine—coriander, cardamon, cumin, fenugreek and turmeric, among others—call for wine that is aromatic enough to stand up to the big flavours, but also cold and crisp enough to give relief to the heat. What you are looking for here is a wine that is served cold, has lower alcohol and has some sweetness. For these reasons, Riesling is the obvious choice.

Many people do not choose Riesling because they think it is too sweet. Frankly, this is just not the case. For sure, there are Rieslings that have high residual sugar, but Riesling comes in a variety of styles, and there are excellent dry and off-dry examples, including those offered here, that will not offend those who are repelled by the idea of a wine that is not bone-dry. We think you will enjoy any of the following wines while digging into your favorite curry, Vindaloo or Tikka Masala, mopping up the sauces with naan.

The student: Upper Bench 2021 Riesling, $26, direct from the winery or at New District Wines and BC Liquor Stores. This is the follow-up vintage of the wine that won “Wine of the Year” at the Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards. This is a refreshing, dry Riesling from the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan that features grapefruit and green apple on the nose and stone fruit and citrus flavours on the palate. It pairs well with any spicy food and offers excellent value.

The associate: Phantom Creek Estate Riesling 2020, $35, direct from the winery. One can easily detect the influence of Phantom Creek’s consulting winemaker, Olivier Humbrecht, when quaffing this tasty offering from the Okanagan Valley’s Phantom Creek Estates. Humbrecht is the owner and winemaker of the renowned Alsatian winery Domaine ZindHumbrecht, one of the world’s leading producers of Riesling and Pinot Gris.

The 2020 Riesling is Alsatian in style, with fragrant aromatics and flavours of pear and apple. The 19 months of aging in oak fudres lend a slight note of vanilla that frames the wine but does not overwhelm it. Its vibrant flavour and bright acidity make it an excellent accompaniment to the rich flavours and creaminess of many Indian dishes.

The partner: Domaine Ostertag Muenchberg Riesling, $85, BC liquor specialty stores. This Riesling comes from the flagship Muenchberg Grand Cru vineyard in the Alsace region of France, and was crafted by a biodynamic farming pioneer, André Ostertag. The wine has a lovely golden colour in the glass and expressive notes of pineapple and peach and just a hint of diesel. This is a big, flavourful wine that would overwhelm some foods but was just perfect with the chicken curry with which we paired it.

MEXICAN FOOD One might think of Mexican food as an ingenious way to serve leftovers— take rice, beans and tomato-based sauce, combine into a variety of forms with your favourite protein and wrap it in a taco or tortilla and serve with a selection of accompaniments such as cheese, salsa, guacamole and hot sauce. What makes Mexican cuisine stand out, though, is the use of chilli peppers—which, like grapes, come in a number of varieties: poblano (or ancho), jalapeño (chipotle), pasilla, guajillo, serrano and habanero. Like Indian food, the flavours are big, the sauces are rich and often spicy, and the aromas are pronounced.

Lighter fare like fish or chicken tacos calls for a crisp and light white wine, while savoury dishes like enchiladas work well with a rustic red wine. For white, we recommend Albariño or Vinho Verde, which are refreshing wines known for their zippy acidity. For reds, we like Tempranillo, with its notes of blackberry, plums and tomatoes and its moderate tannins, or Garnacha, which has similar characteristics but is often more “earthy”.

The student: Rias Baixas Rosal Albariño – Adegas Valminor Davila 2021, $24, BC Liquor Stores. Albariño is a varietal grown in both Spain and Portugal, but it is growing in popularity in parts of the New World. In Portugal, it is called Alvarinho. It is known for its stone fruit flavour profile and its refreshing acidity. The 2021 Adegas Valminor Davila from the Rias Baixas wine region in Spain is made from a blend of eighty per cent Albariño and twenty per cent Loureiro and Treixadura. It has fragrant and enticing aromas of flowers and melon and a layered texture that displays flavours of peach and apricot. The fruit is quite luscious, but the acidity gives it a satisfying and refreshing finish that makes it ideal for spicy Mexican food. Local wine writer Neal McLennan (a former lawyer) once com-

mented that he has never had an Albariño he did not enjoy—a lot. Our experience has not been any different. This Spanish gem is a wine that ranks high on the enjoyment scale.

For an affordable red wine in this category, we recommend you try the 2020 Laya, from Gil Family Estates, at $18 in BC Liquor Stores. It is a blend of seventy per cent Garnacha and thirty per cent Monastrelle from the Almansa appellation in Spain. This is a big wine for a small price. It has a deep purple hue. We detected prunes, blackberries and cocoa on the nose. It is very fruit-forward, with a lingering finish of black pepper and chocolate. This wine will appeal to those fond of the wines from the Gigondas and Vacqueyras regions of southern France.

The associate: Bodegas Muga Reserva 2018, $32, BC Liquor Stores. From an excellent producer in the Rioja Alta region of Spain comes this juicy and tasty red wine made from a blend of seventy per cent Tempranillo and thirty per cent Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. The wine is a brilliant ruby red and has a youthful exuberance both in aroma and in flavour. It opens up with a blast of blackberry and vanilla and then throws off a midpalate delight of licorice and a hint of chocolate. This is a very good wine that will probably benefit from a year or two of cellaring but is drinking beautifully now. Its fine tannins, abundant fruit and easy drinkability make it a perfect accompaniment to spicy meat dishes.

The partner: 2013 Dalmau, Marques de Murrietta, $115, Everything Wine. This is a limited edition offering from a single vineyard—the Canajas property in Rioja. The 2013 vintage, which we bought at a wine tasting of Murrieta wines a few years back, is a blend of seventy-one per cent Tempranillo, fifteen per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and fourteen per cent Graciano. It has an inky colour and notes of blackberries, stewed prunes and forest floor. This is a luxurious wine with layers of flavour that linger in your mouth. Although this bottle was the last of the case we bought, we felt as though it was just beginning to round into form. We drank it with Ina Garten’s recipe for chicken enchiladas, with which it went perfectly.

JAPANESE FOOD Chablis is the obvious choice here. To appreciate the delicacy of sushi and other Japanese seafood, one needs a wine that is lean and not overwhelming. Although Chablis is made from one hundred per cent Chardonnay, it lacks the unctuous fruit-forwardness of white Burgundy. Rather, Chablis at its best is more austere, with a strong minerality, very little oak and a touch of salinity. The vineyards of Chablis sit atop an ancient sea bed where middens of oyster shells may still be found, and it is thought that this imparts

a coastal influence on the wine. This makes it perfect with most Japanese food. The acidity tackles the fat in the fish, and the minerality balances the salt in the soya and other sauces.

Since it is hard to find decent Chablis at a reasonable price, we suggest that another white wine that goes well with Japanese food is Pinot Gris, which with its hints of apple and citrus nicely accompanies the umami characteristics of Japanese broths and sauces.

The student: Haywire Pinot Gris, $25, BC Liquor Stores and New District Wines. For some reason, whenever we drink Okanagan Pinot Gris, we feel like we are tasting the fruit from the trees that used to grow on the land that is now occupied by vineyards. So it is with this fruit-forward effort from Okanagan Crush Pad, with its notes of pear, apple and a little lemon. This wine will go nicely with any seafood dish, and has more than enough spine to stand up to soya sauce and wasabi.

The associate: Phantom Creek Estate Pinot Gris 2020, $28, BC Liquor Stores. Not unlike the Phantom Creek Riesling, the 2020 Pinot Gris has Alsace written all over it. Golden in colour, this wine is a honey-scented delight with a slight creamy texture that balances beautifully with the wine’s crisp acidity. Abundant in its fruit, the flavours of this Pinot Gris are rich and luscious. In our estimation, it is quite simply one of the best Pinot Gris you can find in British Columbia.

The partner: Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre 2019, $76, BC liquor specialty stores. Brocard makes organic wines from four Premier Cru sites and three Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis, as well as a more affordable Petite Chablis. This is our favorite of the Premier Crus. We found apricot, orange rind, hay bale and a whiff of sea shore, followed by lemon and apple notes in the mouth, with a pleasant salinity at the back end. This is a perfectly balanced effort—clean, crisp and pleasant. Like a gracious hostess introducing her guests, it greets the food and then lets it shine.

CHINESE FOOD Pairing wine with Chinese food is a rather daunting task because the first question is “What kind of Chinese food?” Dim sum? Spicy dishes from Hunan or Szechuan? Stir-fried meats and vegetables? Noodle dishes?

Many white wines will go well with Chinese food. One good choice is Chenin Blanc. Or if you prefer a bolder statement, you can opt for a big aromatic white wine from the Southern Rhône, like a white Chateauneuf-duPape, with its captivating blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. For a red wine, we suggest a lighter red like a Beaujolais (made from the Gamay grape) or a Pinot Noir.

But do not forget Champagne. When you are seated at Mott 32 in Vancouver or Mister Chow in Beverly Hills, one of the first things that happens is the arrival of the Champagne cart. This is no accident. There are many reasons for this. First, it is celebratory. Second, it amplifies the size of the bill. But third, and most important, Champagne goes so well with Chinese food. Accordingly, we have included one of our favorite Champagnes in this section.

The student: Tania and Vincent Carême Terre Brûlée Chenin Blanc 2020, $19, BC Liquor Stores. Vincent Carême is a prominent winemaker from the Loire Valley in France, which is known for its Chenin Blanc. His wife, Tania, is from South Africa, also known for its excellent Chenin Blanc wines. Together, the couple manage a vineyard in the Swartland area of South Africa where they produce an excellent and refined Chenin Blanc from 40-year-old vines. This wine is one of the best white wine values in British Columbia. It shows off some lush stone fruit and apple, along with a touch of creaminess that gives it a lovely mouthfeel. At the same time, it is framed by a good level of acidity that provides balance and structure.

The associate: Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe Aux Jacques 2020, $27, BC Liquor Stores. This is a medium-bodied, easy-drinking Gamay, with black cherry, pepper and a little hint of licorice. We served this with Moo Shu Pork and it complemented the hoisin sauce nicely.

The partner: Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne, $125, BC Liquor Stores. What does this go well with? Anything. Whether you are enjoying this as an apéritif or with the first few dumplings that arrive, you will love this. It has a nice pale pink hue in the glass and enticing bubbles, but it really comes to life in your mouth as it charms you with its creamy, elegant texture. This is like a lemon-raspberry tart in a glass. The challenge of this Champagne is to try to avoid ordering a second bottle.

ENDNOTE

1. Of only eight Vancouver restaurants that were awarded a Michelin star, three were Asian: Kissa Tanto, Masayoshi and Quan Ju De Beijing Duck House. In the Bib Gourmand category, seven out of twelve were ethnic restaurants: Lunch Lady, Vij’s, Chupito, Phnom Penh, Kim Kao Son, Anh & Chi and Little Bird.