Perfect pairings

Want to know why a New World sauvignon blanc wine goes well with tom yum goong? Then ask Jeannie Cho Lee.

The Korean-born, Hong Kong-based Lee is a is a Master of Wine and the first Asian, among 300 wine experts around the globe, to have been awarded this prestigious title by the Institute of Masters of Wine in London.

The vivacious and engaging Lee became a Master of Wine in 2008 following her winning dissertation on the future of Hong Kong as an international hub of fine wines.

A Master of Wine is recognised as the highest achievement in the global wine community and equips those that have attained the qualification with a unique understanding of and set of skills for dealing with all aspects of the business of wine.

The recognition has landed Lee, currently a wine consultant to Singapore Airlines, sixth place on CNN Hong Kong's "20 People to Watch" list.

Lee began her career in business journalism writing for Asian Inc, the Far Eastern Economic Review and the South China Post. In 1996, she started to focus on writing about food and wine, contributing to regional as well as international publications.

Now, she's come up with a book.

Launched recently at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, "Asian Palate" is the first comprehensive work to match Asian cuisine with wine and is the result of a two-year journey exploring the wealth of Asian cuisine in 10 culinary capitals in the region.

"I love writing and wine is a passion that I've had since my university days. It was triggered by a trip across the wine regions of France and Italy when I was 19, when I was studying at Oxford University," she says.

"Asian Palate" also looks at how culture and history have influenced the flavours of regional cuisines and reflects the changing tastes of Asians, who are increasingly savouring traditional foods with wines from all over the world.

Bangkok is among the 10 cities covered in the book as are Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei. Lee offers several recommendations on matching food and wines based on Asian dining concepts, notably the communal dining style and banquets.

"I fell in love with the pleasure of eating before I fell in love with wine. My mother is an extraordinary cook," says Lee.

"At college, even my student budget didn't deter me from eating out at the best restaurants. Enjoying great food and learning to cook have brought me immense pleasure through the years.

"Wine became a regular staple on my dining table, just as much as my bowl of rice, chopsticks and spicy Asian condiments about 20 years ago. Most of my meals are Asian - Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai or even Peranakan," she says.

Historically, grain and fruit-based alcoholic beverages have been part of the Asian table for thousands of years, she writes. Archaeological digs in Henan, China have found residues of vessels used to store alcoholic drinks dating back to at least 8,000 BC.

However, the concept of making purely grape-derived wines in these countries is relatively modern. Grapes were often combined with other berries to make a generic fruit-based drink.

Despite this long history, there was very little interest within China, India or any of the major Asian countries for purely grape-derived wine until the past several decades. Most preferred the traditional grain-derived alcoholic beverages.

Hong Kong looks set to become the hub of fine wines, and other Asian cities are catching up. And Asians, mostly tea drinkers, are learning to appreciate tannins, slowly introducing fine wines to the dining table.

Lee says most food and wine pairing attempts to achieve one of three main objectives: to complement, to contrast and to accompany the food.

In the book, she's broken down the wines into five categories. For whites, there are light, zingy and grassy, aromatic and perfumed, medium-bodied and full-bodied or serious. For red wines, these are light and punchy, medium-bodied and fruity, spicy and warm, earthy and savoury and serious and age-worthy.

She has plenty to say about Thai food and wine pairing. Given the use of intense spices in the food, she recommends wines from cool climates around the world that have inherently high acidity and bright fruity character. High chilli content means low tannin wines are best.

"Refreshing wines, with firm acidity, served chilled, will liven up the palate," she writes.

She recommends avoiding highly tannic wines as the tannins will exaggerate the taste of the spicy food, making a bit spicier.

For somtam and other spicy salads, Lee suggests any sparkling wine or chilled rose, dry or off-dry whites with vibrant fruit character. Avoid heavily oaked red wines with high tannins.

For stir-fried dishes, go for fruity red wines with modest tannins and refreshing acidity, or medium-bodied whites with crisp acidity, lightly oak-influenced wine.

Coconut-based soups need full-bodied, oak-influenced chardonnay.

And the tom yam goong?

"That needs a fruity wine with firm acidity that work well with aromatic herbs in the dish, just like a sauvignon blanc from Australia or New Zealand," she smiles.

Big bites, small sips

Published by Asset Books in Hong Kong, "Asian Palate" is available at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel for US$98.