Pairing Asian Cuisines with Wine

Updated: 08 April 2007

Welcome to a definitive guide to pairing Asian Cuisines with Wine by Asians

THE ASIAN DISHES

Sharkfin soup in chicken broth
and
Fresh scallops in mini yam basket

Deep-fried Taufoo in vegetable salsa

Roast chicken garnished with prawn crackers

Cantonese crispy chicken garnished with prawn crackers

Crispy eel skin with light broth dip

Note: Photos of several dishes from the menu are missing due to utter feeding frenzy of this author.

DINNER AT SHA TIN KITCHEN
01 April 2007
8/10 Lorong 3 Geylang, Singapore

The Group

Thanks for organising the wine & food tasting last week at Sha Tin Kitchen. I certainly had a great time!

I wasn't taking enough notes on the food & wine matching but hvpl wrote an excellent piece on that at Wine For Asian.

Here are my impressions on the many wines we tasted that night:

Collio Sauvignon 2005, Branko, Friuli - Italy: My favourite white wine of the evening. Fresh and intense with more structure than the typical Sauvignon Blanc coming out of Australia & New Zealand. Works better with food. The Italians are certainly moving up with Sauvignon Blanc and Fruliano in the northern regions.

Colle Duga Bianco 2005, Princic Damian, Friuli - Italy: Deliciously fresh with white fruits and floral hints. Not uber-ripe like their Sauvignon Blanc which I tasted at Wine For Asia 2006.

Ribolla Gialla 2005, Maurizio Princic, Friuli - Italy: Lots of oak, maybe a tad too much. Heavy and somewhat low acid but otherwise a concentrated, intense wine. A grape I've not tried before... interesting.

Riesling Reserve 2005, Kuentz, Alsace - France: Beautiful nose with floral and mineral notes. Light on the palate with a fleeting finish.

Pinot Gris Reserve 2005, Kuentz, Alsace - France: Beautiful nose with white fruit, flowers and minerals. Unlike the Riesling, this delivered on the palate and with quite some ooomph!

Gewertztraminer Selection 2005, Kuentz, Alsace - France: Classic lychee and rose petals on the nose. Lightly sweet with sufficient acids to keep it lively. Beautiful drinking now and in the near term.

Chateau de Villars Fontaine "le Jiromees" 1994, Haut Cotes de Nuits - France: Served a little too cold and needed a lot of time in the glass. On the nose, minerals, white flowers, white fruits and toasty oak. Lots of tension on the palate with crystalline white fruits and light toffee end notes.

Ritza Sauvignon Blanc - India: Uncharacteristic Sauvignon nose with stewed fruits with hint of chlorine. Very low in acid showing oxidative characteristics. Made to match Indian food, I think the market outside of India will find this not easy to accept.

Aragones 2003, Joao Portugal Ramos, Alentejo - Portugal: Somewhat jammy & New World. Mouth filling and directly gratifying.

Collecion 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla - Spain: Showing aged complexity with leather and earth. The tannins, often edgy and sappy with the Monastrell grape, has mellowed nicely. Delicious.

Gotim Bru 2001, Castell del Remei, Costers del Segre - Spain: Well made, identifiably Old-World. Good balance with nice leather, earth and herbs notes. I liked this one quite a bit.

Barolo 1980, Veglio, Piemonte - Italy: Deep bricking, showing it's 26+ years. Surprisingly fresh on the nose and palate - oodles of sweet cherry fruit layered upon leather, garrigue and balsamic notes. Excellent balance with a velvety mouthfeel. Long, sweet, balsamic finish. Wow!

Rafferty Cabernet Merlot - India: Distinct coffee liqueur nose with stewed cherries. Sweetish and low acid on the palate with a fair bit of cooked flavours. Again, I think this might be ok for the Indian market but will find it hard to gain an audience in the international markets.

Cheers!

William Chong

Dear WineTasters,

We started April (1 April) with a slight fillip at our WineTasters' affair at Sha Tin Kitchen. A given-up-for-dead bottle of Veglio Barolo 1980 offered vibrant acidity with gorgeous nuances of autumn leaves and drying violets. The wine did not disappoint the palate caressing it with lovingly stewed cherry fruit & seductive tannins. "This I like, I really like!" exclaimed the lady, who never, ever enjoyed Barolo ........... until now.

Supporting roles were played by a specially prepared menu by Tonny Chan, which complemented a Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla and Bianco, all from small producers from Collio Orientali. The Sauvignon stood out. Not because it was in the Kiwi-style rather more Loire and subtly seductive, providing a touch of liftness to our sharkfin soup starter dish. The Collio Bianco blend was substantial and mouthfillingly satisfying, as evidenced by being the earliest bottle to empty.

In quick succession, wines from a tiny Alsace house (Kruentz) was poured out. A lightly off-dry Riesling was good drinking but lacked presence. The Pinot Gris, on the other hand, competed with the Collio Bianco in intensity and flavour. Full in the mouth and good length at the finish. Classic drinkers would enjoy the Gewurtztraminer. Gorgeous bouquet of overflowing roses and lychees on the nose. Light acidity, ripe fruit sweetness and smooth on the palate but ending dry without being harsh.

As the pork-ribs emerged, so did the reds. Joao P Ramos' Aragones has developed well with wonderful red berry fruit on the palate and a seductive finish. Castano's Coleccion 1999 showed wonderful elegance and grace for a Monastrell wine. A contrast with Castano's Hecula, the other wine I truly enjoy for its earthy robustness & upfront flavours. Castell de Remei's Gotim Bru retained its edge despite being about 3 years additional cellaring.

Then, finally, the Veglio Barolo 1980 was opened and poured out immediately. WOW!!
http://www.happyvines.com/WT.htm

THE WINES