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What type of wine pairs best with Vietnamese food?

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on February 18 2010 at 10:30

Sunday marked 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 Grüner 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 (Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Alsace Pinot Blanc), floral/dry (Austrian Riesling, Muscat and Gewürztraminer), ‘Minerally, Floral Wines from Germany’ and Rich Whites (whites from the Rhône, Alsace Pinot Gris and Vouvray demi-sec). They don’t generally list new world Chardonnays “because of their high alcohol, flabby structure and an overpowering oak character which is bitter when paired with Vietnamese food.” (So there!)

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