What typical/traditional dish from Asia would pair well with Sauternes?

Pairing wine with Asian food is not always simple. Indeed, like I often say, the best way to succeed in your wine and food pairing is to pair wine and food from the same region. However, Asia is not known for its wines…

But this doesn’t mean, there aren’t great pairings. The acidity of Sauternes contrasts with the sweetness in most Asian food.

Pairing wine and food – the basics

First let’s not forget that each of us has a different sensitivity to flavors and aromatic components. The same level of bitterness, for example, can be perceived much more strongly by one person than by another. This is not just a personal preference, because some like strong reactions and others don’t. These sensitivity thresholds are all different, as are individual preferences.

The “perfect” agreement for one person will therefore be banal, even unpleasant for another. Food and wine pairings must therefore take into account both personal preferences and sensitivities.

Foods include two components that tend to make wines “harder” (more astringent and bitter, more acidic, less sweet and less fruity), namely sweetness and umami. Conversely, two components tend to make wines “more supple” (less astringent and bitter, less acidic, sweeter and more fruity), namely saltiness and acidity.

ANECDOTE : To taste umami, simply compare the taste of a raw button mushroom to that of the same mushroom microwaved for 30 seconds, the umami being significantly enhanced by cooking.

In general, foods influence the taste of a wine more than the other way around, and in particular they are more likely to have a negative effect.

What typical/traditional Japanese dishes would pair well with Sauternes?

According to Japanese Food and Wine, Sauternes goes well with white Miso, Ankimo (which is angler fish liver) and Hijiki (sweetened seaweed). So basically pairing the fat of the liver with the sweetness of the wine (a bit like pairing foie gras with Sauternes), and enhancing the sweetness of Hijiki with the sweetness of Sauternes.

Others suggests pairing it with Unagi, which is a Japanese Eel. In most cases, Unagi is cooked in a sweet teppanyaki style sauce that is composed of equal parts of soja sauce, mirin and a little sugar.

What typical/traditional dishes from Shanghai would pair well with Sauternes?

Shanghai Daily suggests pairing Sauternes with tang yuan with sweet fillings.

“Most tang yuan have sweet to off-sweet fillings of sesame, red bean and walnut pastes or other fillings that are served in a sweet soup. Typical flavors you expect to find in good Sauternes wines are apricots, honey, peaches and nuts that are natural companions to the sweet flavors and sticky texture of the dumplings.”

Thus, the sweetness and acidity are balanced perfectly.

Another chef recommended pairing it with tang yuan with goose liver. This reminds us of course of the famous pairing : foie gras and Sauternes

What typical/traditional dishes from India would pair well with Sauternes?

Concerning India, I would recommend serving Sauternes with a famous dessert : gulab jamun. It is a soft dough made from milk mostly and served with syrup. The acidity in Sauternes will help make this dessert les heaving on the stomach while matching its sweetness.

If you want to enjoy Sauternes during the meal, I would pair it with masal, which are Indian spices. The alcohol in Sauternes enhances the taste of spices. Why not try Sauternes with chicken masala for example? Serve it with rice to help calm the spices a bit.

What typical/traditional dishes from Thailand would pair well with Sauternes?

Concerning Thai food, I would go for spicy foods. Like I said just above, the alcohol in Sauternes helps enhance the taste of spices. The sweetness will reduce the heat of this pairing.

I would try beef red curry with Sauternes for instance. (I actually never tried that, so let me know if you do!)

A sales rep at Château Guiraud recommended coconutty Thai curries with young Sauternes. So you could also try a vegetable curry, such as a veggie massamun curry.

Conclusion: What typical/traditional dish from Asia would pair well with Sauternes?

Although I can’t cover all Asian countries, with this post you have some examples of which type of Asian food you can pair with Sauternes. I would recommend sweet dishes but also spicy dishes, the alcohol enhancing the taste of spices.

Let me know how that goes and if you have other ideas!