Amazing Thai wines

Gordon Ramsay's New York chef demonstrates some remarkable pairings on a visit to Bangkok

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay wasn't present in person, but the Seafood Bar came delightfully close the other night with Maurice Lawson, who's been chef de cuisine for the past three years at Ramsay's restaurant in New York.

Lawson previously worked at Arella and Coquelicot Le Bistro in Jakarta and the Blue Water Grill in his native New York, and appears often on America's 24-hour Food Network TV channel. He was even food-and-beverage director at last year's Burning Man Festival.

Doing a guest stint at the Seafood Bar last month, Lawson presented a set menu of imported seafood cooked American style and complemented with premium choices from Siam Winery and PB Valley Khao Yai.

Guests enjoyed Monsoon Valley Brut Blanc de Blancs 2010 as an aperitif. A sparkling wine made from Chenin Blanc, Colombard and Viognier grapes in the traditional champenoise method, it's light and bubbling yet delicate and fruity, with green apple notes with hints of brioche and walnut.

Dinner began with grilled oysters in a smoked-shallot mignonette, paired with Monsoon Valley Colombard 2011. The oysters were briskly cooked and a bit chewy and quite sour with the vinaigrette. The wine had a light-to-medium body, crisp acidity and complex aromas of citrus, green apple and flowers, not enough to overcome the dish's acidity.

Next came deep-fried lobster ravioli in herbed butter, matched with Sawadee Chenin Blanc 2010. The ravioli, more Asian than American style, was tasty and the Chenin Blanc light-bodied with loads of pineapple, guava and stone fruits, with a hint of coconut-palm sugar, forming a nice team.

"Shrimpsickles" in a sweet-and-sour chilli sauce came with Monsoon Valley Chenin Blanc Medium Dry 2011. The shrimp was deep-fried with a mix of Japanese and Chinese technique and went very well with the "spritz" in the wine, which cleansed the palate. Women love this wine because it smells of peach, apricot, honey and quince and, of course, it's medium dry, which adds sweetness.

The first main course was blackened-snapper gnocchi and Dungeness crab hash, paired with PB Valley Reserve Chenin Blanc 2010. The wine had the aromas of pineapple and peach and some dried flowers, with a hint of vanilla. The gnocchi went perfectly with the medium-bodied wine that's aged French barrel for 12 months.

Brown-butter-roasted black cod with vegetable ragout was served with PB Valley Rose 2010. The perfectly cooked cod was full of flavour and juicy. The rose blends 90 per cent Colombard with Shiraz for colour and body and is beautiful on the nose, with scents of peach, apple and mild red berries. Its refreshing acidity with a hint of sweetness made it ideal for cleansing the palate.

For dessert there was first coconut pannacotta with Monsoon Valley fortified Muscat 2010, always a favourite with the ladies thanks to its aromas of lychee, rose and cherry blossom and delicious sweetness on the tongue. Unfortunately the pannacotta was too creamy, sending most diners back to the wine.

Finally there was a lemon mango tart with lemongrass milk, coupled with PB Valley Licchi Schnapps made from distilled lychee from northern Thailand. The intense lychee flavour and high alcohol content are ideal for the end of a meal, and the tart was quite refreshing.