Thai beef salad and off-dry Riesling

It’s easy to get stuck in the trap of thinking red wine is the only accompaniment for meat, especially red meat but in these days of multi-cultural eating that’s not necessarily true. And a good case in point is a Thai beef salad with its zingy, hot/sour flavours which influence the match much more than the beef does.

An off-dry Riesling is a much better bet than a red, adding a freshness and vibrancy to the pairing instead of a jarring note. Surprisingly even mature Rieslings can hold their own. We once paired a nine year old Von Hovel Oberemmeler Hutte Riesling Spätlese with a Thai beef salad at a Decanter tasting and it was the star of the show. New Zealand Rieslings, which tend to be slightly more floral than South Australian ones, also make a good pairing.

If you’re not a Riesling fan a good zesty New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will hit the spot as will the ever-flexible weissbier or witbier.

Image © jnie - Fotolia.com

Which wines - or beers - do you like best with Thai food? Do let me know what you think.

Thai fishcakes and witbier

Although I'm not one of those who is resolutely against pairing wine with spicy food there are definitely occasions when beer goes at least as well, if not better and this is one of them.

Cloudy, fragrant Belgian witbiers like Hoegaarden provide a perfect counterpoint to the sharp, zesty flavours of lime, coriander, garlic and chilli. In fact they'll also go with noodles and Thai salads and even - just about - Thai green curries. German Hefeweizen and Weisse beers, which are similar in style, work well too as do American wheatbeers such as the funky Flying Dog In Heat Wheat - see www.flyingdogales.com