Wine and cheese are easy. Wine and steak are even easier; there’s plenty of advice out there.
But what about wine to pair with chilli crab, laksa or a delicious plate of satay?
Singaporean food combines sweet, spicy, salty, sour and savoury, sometimes all in the same dish. That can make choosing a wine feel intimidating, but it certainly doesn’t mean you need to leave the wine in the fridge and drink water every time there’s chilli involved.
The trick is to think less about the traditional wine-pairing rules and consider what’s actually on your plate.
We have some ideas to help you get started.
Chilli crab
We’ll start with one of the most obvious ones.
Chilli crab has a lot going on. From the sweetness of the crab and the heat from the chilli to that rich, slightly sweet and tangy sauce that’s almost impossible not to mop up with a mantou.
Something like a heavy, tannic red is probably going to fight against all that flavour.
Instead, you want to find something fresh and aromatic, ideally with good acidity and enough fruit to balance the heat.
You have more than one option here. A fresh sparkling wine is ideal if you want something drier, while a white with a little sweetness can soften the chilli rather than adding to the heat.
Try
Champagne Gratiot & Cie Almanach N°1 Brut
Why it works: This Pinot Meunier-led Champagne has plenty of fruit along with citrus and freshness. There’s also enough dosage to give it a softer edge than a bone-dry Brut Nature, which I’d prefer here with the sweetness and chilli in the sauce.
Laksa
Laksa is another challenge because the wine has a big job on its hands.
There’s spice, coconut milk, seafood and that rich, fragrant broth. It’s all competing for attention, so a delicate wine will not do. You’re looking for a wine that won’t disappear after the first sip.
A flavourful white with enough acidity to keep things fresh is a good place to start. Aromatic varieties can work a treat here, particularly ones with citrus or stone-fruit characters. A little sweetness doesn’t hurt when there’s plenty of chilli involved either.
If you’re a red-wine lover who automatically reaches for something full-bodied, laksa might just be the night to broaden your horizons.
Try
Château Laballe Les Terres Basses Blanc Sec
Why it works: This Gascon white is made from Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon and Gros Manseng. It’s crisp and fresh, with grapefruit, stone fruit, citrus and tropical fruit, plus a slight sweet touch. There’s enough going on here to stand up to the laksa without making the chilli the star of the show.
Satay
Satay carries us into different territory, whether it’s beef, chicken or lamb.
You may be thinking red to accompany the chargrilled, marinated meat and rich peanut sauce, but you don’t need to reach for the heaviest hitter in your wine collection.
A juicy, fruit-heavy wine can work well without overpowering the satay. You could also explore aromatic whites or fuller rosés, depending on the spice level and the type of meat.
If it’s mixed satay night, opt for a versatile wine rather than looking for a perfect match for each version.
In fact, that’s a useful rule to remember for many Singapore meals. When you’re serving several dishes, find a wine that can move between them.
Try
Champagne Gratiot & Cie Almanach N°3 Brut Rosé
Why it works: This is a Pinot Meunier-led rosé Champagne with red-fruit flavours and enough structure to work with food. Terroir even recommends it with meat, so I’d happily put it on the table with a plate of mixed satay.
Hainanese chicken rice
You might think Hainanese chicken rice is the easier pairing on this list, but there’s more flavour there than people sometimes give it credit for.
While the chicken itself is delicate, the fragrant rice, chilli sauce, ginger and dark soy sauce alongside it make things more interesting.
You don’t want a heavy wine that overwhelms the chicken, so start with a fresh white with good acidity. Citrus, floral or subtle stone-fruit flavours can complement the dish while still leaving room for the ginger and chilli.
If you feel like opening bubbles with your chicken rice, a dry sparkling wine can also work well.
And why shouldn’t you enjoy bubbles with dinner?
Try
Champagne Pertois-Moriset L’Assemblage
Why it works: It’s a 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Champagne described by Terroir as fresh and delicate, with fruit, white flowers and good freshness. That’s much more where I’d go with chicken rice than a powerful, heavily oaked wine.
Char siu
With sweet, savoury and slightly smoky flavours all in play with char siu, there’s plenty to work with pairing-wise.
And this is one dish where a red can come into its own.
Choose a fruit-driven wine with enough freshness to balance the sweet glaze. That doesn’t mean it needs to be a huge, full-bodied red. Something juicy with manageable tannins makes more sense, particularly if there’s chilli on the table as well.
Try
Château de L’Ou I Love L’Ou Rouge
Why it works: This Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan and Syrah blend is described as light, fresh and easy drinking, with juicy red and black fruit and spice. That gives the char siu enough wine to work with without drowning it in tannin.
Hokkien mee
Hokkien mee calls for something refreshing, with prawns, noodles, stock, seafood flavours and that squeeze of lime.
The easy option is a crisp white with good acidity to cut through the richness of the noodles, while citrus or mineral characters sit nicely with the seafood.
Alternatively, you could try a dry sparkling wine. Bubbles aren’t just for celebrations. Sparkling wines can be very good with richer dishes because the acidity and bubbles freshen things up between bites.
Try
Champagne Gratiot & Cie Almanach N°0 Brut Nature
Why it works: This one’s particularly easy to recommend because Terroir already describes it as a versatile Champagne that works with fish, shellfish and crustaceans. It’s fresh and dry, with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, so prawns and Hokkien mee make a lot of sense.
What about really spicy food?
If you’re pairing wine with extra-spicy food, alcohol and tannin are two things worth watching.
A high-alcohol red with plenty of tannin can make the heat from chilli feel even more noticeable. A wine with some fruit and a little residual sweetness, on the other hand, can be much friendlier when the food gets hot.
Aromatic whites are a good place to start. Sparkling wine and rosé can work too.
But don’t get caught up trying to pick the technically correct pairing. If you enjoy a particular wine and want to drink it with your curry, go for it. We certainly won’t stop you.
One table, lots of dishes?
This is where Singapore shines.
You’ve got chilli crab, seafood, meat, vegetables and rice arriving at once. There’s no point trying to pair a different wine with every dish. Look for one or two versatile bottles that can move between flavours.
You might be surprised by how much ground a fresh white can cover. Château Laballe Les Terres Basses Blanc Sec is one option we’ve already mentioned, and sparkling wine is another easy choice when there’s a lot happening on the table.
If you enjoy red, avoid going too heavy on tannin and oak. Something fresh and fruity such as Château de L’Ou I Love L’Ou Rouge gives you a little more flexibility.
Once the wines are open and the food is served, everyone can work out which combination they like best.
Forget the rules occasionally
Wine pairing shouldn’t feel like a chore.
The food is your starting point, so think about what you’re actually eating. Is there chilli? Is the sauce sweet? Is seafood doing most of the work, or is there chargrilled meat and a rich sauce involved?
Then try something.
You might discover that a bottle you wouldn’t normally have picked becomes the wine you want the next time you order that dish.
And if you’re still staring at the Terroir range wondering what on earth to buy, tell us what’s for dinner.
We’ll help.
