What type of wine pairs best with Vietnamese food?
Today is not only the start of the Chinese New Year but the Vietnamese New Year celebrations too – known as Tet. As in China there are certain foods which are traditional to the occasion such as pickled vegetables and candied fruits, none of which are particularly wine-friendly but in general I find Vietnamese food, with its milder heat and fragrant herbal flavours easier to match than Thai (although I haven’t had such extensive experience of doing so) The wine I’ve generally found works best is Austrian Gruner Veltliner, a combination I discovered a good few years ago now at The Slanted Door in San Francisco. It’s own slightly herbal, green pepper character seems to complement the herbal notes in many Vietnamese dishes perfectly. I notice however from their website that they strongly recommend German riesling. Their whites are intriguingly divided up by style into herbal (Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Alsace Pinot Blanc), floral/dry (Austrian Riesling, Muscat and Gewurztramine
