NAT’s Thai food meets NETT’s alcohol-free wines - and it works so well!
Thai and Italian have long been my two favourite cuisines. But while pairing Italian food with wine feels obvious, Thai food has always been more challenging. Why?
There is so much happening in Thai food: chilli heat, intense aromatics, sweet-and-sour flavours, crispy textures and fresh herbs like lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
Choosing a complementary drink is sometimes not easy… water is too bland for me, beer often feels too dry to my taste, fruit juice is definitely too sweet, and the alcohol in wine can feel overpowering, sometimes getting in the way of the food. Plus, spicy Thai food keeps me reaching for my glass, so having wine here can quickly become too much!
Could alcohol-free wine be the answer?
Nat, the owner of Lebua Thai at CHIJMES, recently joined my family and me for a spontaneous pairing session to find out. No elaborate tasting menu or full dinner, just a few casual dishes and three alcohol-free wines from Bergdolt-Reif & Nett.
We were honestly surprised by how well these fruit-driven wines worked with the food! Here’s our verdict:
Fresh oysters × Nett’s Secco FRIZZANTE Dealcoholised
Nett’s FRIZZANTE is an approachable bubbly made from Muskateller (Muscat). The oysters’ briny freshness and punchy Thai accompaniments worked beautifully with its lively bubbles and fresh fruit character. It tasted surprisingly dry in this combination, complementing the oysters without stealing the show. What a great start!
Thai-style raw prawns × Nett’s Secco FRIZZANTE Dealcoholised
Succulent, subtly sweet prawns, with chilli, garlic, mint and bitter melon, took the pairing up another notch. The same bubbly wine brought enough fruit to meet those intense flavours while keeping everything refreshing. That bottle disappeared rather quickly! And no one got tipsy…
Grilled squid × Nett’s Sauvignon Blanc REVERSE Dealcoholised
Clean and inviting, this Sauvignon Blanc offers green apple, grapefruit and citrus, with a crisp, lively palate. The squid’s delicate sweetness and smoky grilled edges found a lovely partner in this dry wine. Its fresh character also worked beautifully with the green seafood dipping sauce.
Homemade coconut ice cream and Thai tapioca with coconut milk × Nett Gewürztraminer BREAKAWAY Dealcoholised
Neither dessert was too sweet for my taste, but both were full of flavour and satisfyingly rich and creamy. The wine’s unmistakable Gewürztraminer aromas (rose petals, lychee, ripe peach and sweet citrus) led into a juicy palate with rounded texture and a lovely balance of fruit sweetness and fresh acidity. That fragrant fruit and subtle sweetness complemented the creamy coconut and soft tapioca beautifully, what a satisfying finish!
Our takeaway?
A breakthrough, and a BREAKAWAY!
Dealcoholised wines deserve a place at the Thai dinner table, and these pairings were a revelation, a very good reason to experiment some more. To be continued…
Fresh oysters × Nett’s Secco FRIZZANTE Dealcoholised
Thai-style raw prawns × Nett’s Secco FRIZZANTE Dealcoholised
Grilled squid × Nett’s Sauvignon Blanc REVERSE Dealcoholised
Homemade coconut ice cream and Thai tapioca with coconut milk × Nett Gewürztraminer BREAKAWAY Dealcoholised
