Leslie Williams: Forget about dry January — life is too short
Wine may be a more recent tradition in countries like China, Indonesia and Malaysia but this doesn’t mean their classic dishes do not work well with the right wine.
Welcome back, those of you that attempted dry January but decided that life was too short.
Instead of depriving myself of delicious things this January, I have instead been indulging in African and East and Southern Asian flavours (see also my review of Hang Dai elsewhere in this magazine).
Wine may be a more recent tradition in countries like China, Indonesia and Malaysia but this doesn’t mean their classic dishes do not work well with the right wine.
The Engineer recently made an Indonesian kerak telor and it went brilliantly with a juicy natural red Gran Cerdo red Rioja served cool (see below).
This spicy omelette is made with meat and glutinous rice and topped with flaked coconut, perfect Indonesian comfort food. In a similar vein, I recommend om-rice from Japan (Google it!), but that works best with Asahi or German pils.
From Morocco a vegetable terrine was matched successfully with Albariño, and from Senegal I cooked dib’, marinated lamb roasted in parchment and served, of course, with jollof rice.
This too needed a ripe juicy red wine, Trenel Beaujolais in this instance (JJ O’Driscolls and other independents). For East Asian rice and noodle-based dishes, whites work best. Alsace Gewürztraminer is often cited, but you may find it a little sweet; in my opinion Riesling is the king of grapes for matching spicy savoury noodle and stirfry dishes. With that in mind, the excellent Albert Glas Riesling is on offer in SuperValu this month.
So three wines below to match Asian dishes and while I’m talking about Asia be aware that Season 2 of the brilliant ‘Drops of God’ landed on January 21 on Apple TV.
Yes, some of the wine content is inaccurate but it is more accurate than most TV attempts. Season 1 was a joy and reports of Season 2 are equally good.
Riesling is my go-to wine to match Chinese dishes like chow mein noodles, dumplings and spicy aubergine, it can also cope with duck and even spice bags. This is on offer in SuperValu this month along with the similarly tasty Albert Glas Pinot Noir.
Dry in style, with crisp lime and apple aromas, citrus and lemon pith flavours and a zingy fresh finish. Also a perfect match for fish.
- SuperValu
This is normally €20 but reduced to €15 this month to clear stocks. Albariño has the weight and texture to match Chinese and south east Asian food brilliantly and can also cope well with spice. From pergola-grown vines in Salnés, hand-harvested and wild yeast fermented. Floral peach aromas with lemon zest and tropical fruits, supple and juicy with rounded citrus flavours and a salty tang on the finish.
- O’Briens
Natural red wine served lightly chilled is my best suggestion for matching spice and coping with soy sauce and Asian spices. Nat Cool, Chat Fou and Un Litro will also work but Gran Cerdo is the easiest to find. Organic Tempranillo, minimal intervention, bright primary red and black fruit flavours mixed with dark cherries. Serve cool
- JJ O’Driscolls; Bradleys; L’Atitude 51; World Wide Wines; Drink Store; LeCaveau; TheAllotment.ie
This is from the unstoppable force that is MarieAnn McLoughlin-Dwyer. I featured her Runway 28 gin in the past and I also write for her drinks magazine, Blends & Botanicals. MarieAnn commissioned this from Great Northern Distillery and it is a solidly made blend with barley-forward apple aromas, honey, spice and light caramel flavours and a pleasing peppery finish.
- Celtic Whiskey Shop; Tribe Gin School Salthill; Derry Airport; celticwhiskeyshop.com; maisymcloughlins.com.
