How to Pair Wines with Thai Food

By Tamarind in Wethersfield and Thai Palace in Bloomfield

Thai food, with the spices, heat, bitter herbs, and sweetness – sometimes all in the same dish – can make it tough to match with wine. 

But don’t worry, we have some suggestions for you.

Look for a little sweetness. Going for a slightly sweet Riesling when eating Thai food works well. The slight sweetness and floral notes in Rieslings and similar wines (like Gewurztraminer) match very well with the many flavors of Thai food. The sugar adds to the mouth-feel of wine and mitigates the effect of chili and spice on the palate. Sweetness in wine also works well with the savory dishes that are on the sweet side in Thai cuisine.

Find the tropics. Some wines smell of tropical flowers or exotic fruits, which will match well with the same notes in Thai dishes.

Never drink tannic wines with Thai food. The prominent flavors of Thai food – spicy, hot, and sour – are all bad for big, tannic wines. Spice, chili-heat, and acidity will make tannic wine taste bitter, ruining the experience with both the food and the wine. 

Sparkling wine works well with Thai food, especially all the fried things, which are everywhere in Thai cuisine. The bubbles cut through the grease and refresh the palate. Slightly off-dry Champagne or sparkling wine can also be versatile for many types of Thai dishes. It even works well with creamy curry, as long as it’s not super spicy. 

Thai food has a strong acidic element, especially Yum-type salads or the sour curries like Gang Som which are often dominated by lime juice or tamarind. For these types of dishes, it’s important that the wine you choose has a good level of acidity to support the acid in the food. Flat, flabby, low-acidity wine will be overwhelmed and turn even flabbier and less acidic when paired with these sour dishes. Acidic wines are also good with salty food, so they pair well with salty Thai dishes.

Even when you choose slightly sweet, off-dry wines, make sure that they have a good level of acidity supporting in the background.

Be a little careful with acidic wine and Thai food though, very sweet dishes will turn acidic wines even leaner and more acidic, which could be unpleasant. So, if you like your Pad Thai cloying sweet, then pick a slightly sweet wine to go with it.

Oaky wine, like a lot of California Chardonnays, are not a very good match with Thai food. The vanilla flavor in oaky Chardonnay doesn’t go well with exotic herbs and spices in Thai food.