Many people reserve their favorite champagne bottle for special occasions, probably because this is one drink that is a bit pricier than your ordinary wine and who thought it would go so well with Thai food. However, with everything going on in the world, making every moment of being alive a special occasion may be time.
You never know when you may not be around to celebrate the special moments with your friends and loved ones. This should serve as a wake-up call to anyone that loves good things but may postpone them. Anyway, knowing how to celebrate small and big wins alike by drinking your favorite champagne is excellent.
There is no better way to do this than to ensure you pop some of it with your famous Thai cuisine. The secret is to know and understand how best to pair champagne with different foods. If you still wonder how to achieve this, consider the following tips for organizing a small intimate dinner with your circle. Make sure you pair your champagne and food ideally, not to waste an excellent bottle of expensive wine.
Why Champagne may Be the Perfect Match for Spicy Thai Foods
Well, before you open your precious bottle of Andre champagne while on a trip in Thailand, you may want to know that it will not be a waste ordering a spicy dish on the menu to pair it with. Generally, most Thai dishes are spicy. While the level of spiciness may vary based on your preferences, you can bet that champagne is precisely what you need to give your palate the perfect balance it needs after indulging in some spicy plate of hot Thai cuisine.
Thai cuisine is famed for its exotic blends of spices and heat. However, many people do not know that it surprisingly blends perfectly with some of the best white wines. Whether you love Thai curries or enjoy a hearty Thai pasta dish, a bottle of wine is the perfect pairing. Forget that many people assume a beer bottle is an ideal combo, learn how to pair your favorite Thai dish with champagne or sparkling wine, and you will never go back.
Ingredients that Make Thai Foods Pair Perfectly with Champagne
As already mentioned, Thai food is a mix or blend of several spices that make their food unique and flavorful. Some staples include ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, chilies, tamarind, kaffir lime, and coconut milk. You are less likely to miss these ingredients in any traditional Thai food. Other common spices to watch out for include garlic, shallots, and fish sauce, which make it in most classic Thai meals.
Combining these numerous spices means that the food and condiments that end up on your plate will definitely be intense and sometimes even too hot for an unused palate. Therefore, balancing these intense flavors with a delicate and bubbly drink like sparkling wine is a great idea. And what better way to achieve this than popping some champagne to accompany your meal. The countering flavors of your wine can be anything from mango, pineapple, and other fresh fruity flavors that offset the strong and spicy taste of Thai dishes.
How to Pair Thai Dishes and Champagne/Wine Correctly
Now that you have an idea of how the different flavors in food and wine cancel out, giving you an exotic dining experience, it is best to learn how to pair authentic dishes and drinks. Let’s start with curries since most Thai dishes will have an element of curries in them. For such curries, especially the red and green curries that seem to be Thai’s favorite choices, consider the varying heat levels.
While Thai curries are generally on the hot side of things, champagne and sparkling wine will be on the sweeter end, thus helping you deal with the level of heat. This explains why it is possible for first-time people trying hot Thai dishes paired with sweet wine to find it palatable.
The fruity taste of the wine cancels the heat from chili peppers used in the dishes. When choosing the best wine to pair with the curries, ensure to choose sweeter wine for green curry dishes since it is the hottest. It would be best if you had a wine flavor that cuts the heat and stands the bold flavors in the curry.
This is where your champagne and sparkling wine will come in perfectly. What’s more, the bubbles in the wines will work perfectly to counterbalance the spiciness. Champagne is more versatile than many people know or appreciate.
For the red curry dishes, you can try any other drink that has a hint of sweetness. It does not have to be bold-flavored, and you can also choose the level of sweetness you prefer. Champagne would still work for such meals, but something like Riesling would also work perfectly.
What Other Alternatives of Wine Pairing Exists for Thai Dishes
Not everyone loves or can afford to have champagne whenever they want. In such a case, finding alternatives for when you want to enjoy your Thai dish is necessary. Fortunately, there are a few options to explore. A good example would be any fine choice of dry rose wines for spicy and hot Thai dishes. The versatility of dry rose wines makes them perfect for many Thai dishes pairings. Remember to go for the acidic wines since they tend to pair better with almost all Thai dishes. Red wines may also work well with some creamy and coconut flavored dishes.
Final Thoughts
Thai dishes are unique and spicy most of the time because of the ingredients used to prepare them. It is thus important to find a perfect drink to pair a dish with. How well you pair the Thai dish you love most makes a big difference. Make sure to choose drinks that make the spicy flavors in the dish more interesting without being overbearing. Champagne is an excellent pick if your budget allows it.
This content was originally published here.