Using the words “wine” and “Thai food” in the same sentence is, I realise, a risky proposition, and one that’s almost always greeted with a chorus of “Why would you want to drink anything other than beer?!” But bear with, as they say, because there’s Thai and there’s Thai, and I’m guessing that the beer drinkers (of whom I am often one) aren’t always eating the real deal – more Thai-ish, with the emphasis on the “ish”.
Supermarket ready meals, for example, are quite mild and/or bland, depending on how pejorative you’re being. Ditto many takeaways. It’s really only in more authentic restaurants that you’ll find the characteristic combo of sweetness and heat that makes Thai food quite challenging for a wine match, yet many do have ambitious wine lists. At Kolae, for example, a new London restaurant I visited a couple of months ago, they serve several orange wines with their kitchen offerings, though I preferred a halbtrocken (or off-dry) German riesling from Rheinhessen, Köster-Wolf 2022 (12%), which is currently on offer at Strictly Wine for £12.59 a bottle.
The other consideration, of course, is that even when you’re cooking at home, you’re probably not matching a single dish, but several, so it’s the overall level of heat you need to take into account. If you’re dealing with anglicised Thai, that’s pretty easy, actually – I’d go for a crisp white, including New Zealand sauvignon blanc, which generally works really well with Thai salads, pad Thai and green curries. Rosé, too, is surprisingly good with such milder dishes – maybe a pinot noir, though, rather than one from Provence.
Once you ramp up the heat, however, you should also ramp up the sweetness, which is where aromatic whites come into play. I’m not an automatic fan of gewürztraminer with Thai food, not least because it can be a touch cloying, but there are more subtle gewürzes and gewürztraminer blends that are more flexible. Tanners have a delicious Italian one, for example: Tiefenbrunner Merus Gewürztraminer 2022 from the Alto Adige region, on offer at £16.70.
The right serving temperature also helps. If you think about why lager works so well with spicy food, it’s generally because it’s icy-cold, so I’d be inclined to serve the whites in my pick below a little cooler than usual, too.
And what about red? To be honest, I’m not a fan of it with Thai food; it tends to overwhelm lighter reds such as pinot noir and beaujolais, so I’d probably go for a more full-bodied but slightly softer red such as Aldi’s Cigales Crianza (£9.99, 14%), from its new Unearthed range. But, as usual with food and wine pairing, it’s a matter of personal taste. If you swear by beer, then by all means stick to it.
Five wines to try with Thai food
Tukituki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 £8.50 Asda, 12%. Classic punchy Kiwi sauvignon, and spot on with a green curry.
Zelna Olaszrizling 2022 £10.95 The Wine Society, 13%. A pretty, light, fragrant Hungarian white with a touch of white peach that works with snacks such as Thai fish cakes.
Animaliens Viorica Feteasca Alba 2022 £12.50 (£9.50 if you buy 3 or more) Tanners, 12.5%. A floral Moldovan white that you’ll like if you’re into gewürztraminer.
Steve Bird The Whanau Reserve Pinot Gris 2023 £14.99 (or £12.99 on “mix six”) Majestic, 14.5%. Fragrant, lush pinot gris with a touch of sweetness that works with hotter curries.
Adam. Who? Eden Valley Riesling 2023 £13.95 Corney & Barrow, 11.5%. Adam. Eve. Garden of Eden. Geddit? A classic limey Aussie riesling with that tell-tale kerosene note. Another good one for a green curry.
