Thai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. On Monday, in our second city, Mystic Thai opened at the Fairview Shopping Centre. Mystic Thai is the sister restaurant to Mystic India which is also owned by Arun and Kareena Mahbubani. What’s also new to the city and at Mystic Thai is a well-stocked and beautifully laid out Scotch Bar with over 40 different Scotch Whiskies.

Wine and Thai

The wine list at Mystic will, when completed, boast over 50 different wines. Wine lovers themselves, the Mahbubanis want to afford patrons not only a formidable selection, but most importantly, wines that pair well with Thai food.

Ideal Pairings

The rule of thumb when pairing wines with Thai food is to keep it as simple as possible. Avoid red wines that are too high in alcohol and tannins, like most Cabernet Sauvignons, full-bodied Australian style Shiraz, and full-bodied Malbecs. Look for white wines like off-dry Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. If you prefer red wines, do try fruit-forward, low-tannin, light to medium-bodied wines like Beaujolais or Pinot Noir.

I took a peek at the draft wine list, and if I had to select one white and one red to pair with the Thai cuisine I would recommend a light, fresh, off-dry white wine and a light- bodied fruit-forward red wine.

For the white wine, I would definitely try the Kung Fu Girl Riesling; this wine is perfect for Thai Food. It is approachable with fruit-forward aromas and flavours of peach, apple, and citrus notes. As a result of the naturally firm acid levels, this wine is crisp and delicately structured, and pairs beautifully with richly sauced, complex Thai food.

My light to medium-bodied red wine of choice would be the Cupcake Pinot Noir. It displays aromas of fresh fruit and strawberries, with a hint of oak in the background, as American and French oak barrels are used to age the wine for about nine months. This lighter-bodied wine provides cherry flavours and red fruit on the palate, finishing with soft tannins ideal for Thai fare.

My ‘discovery’

As we enjoyed the tasting menu, Kareena suggested that I try an Italian wine know as Farnese Sangiovese because it went well in the tasting trials hosted a week before. I should not have been surprised at all, because Sangiovese’s high acidity and moderate alcohol make it a very food-friendly wine when it comes to food and wine pairings. The Farnese is deep ruby in colour; has leather, cherry, cranberry, tobacco and earth aromas; dry, medium-bodied, with velvety texture and ripe cherry flavours. A really pleasant wine whose soft tannins allowed the food’s complex flavours to shine through without clashing with the wine — a great pairing indeed.

A really great time was had by our group on Sunday. Do visit soon and let me know how your wine pairings go.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope @chrisreckord and on Twitter: @Reckord