Aromatic white wines to drink with spicy Asian cuisine

You could be forgiven for feeling like the whole country is having a dry January, but there were only 130,000 of us doing it in 2022, according to Alcohol Change (that said, there must be several thousand more did not register). So it's easy to forget that they're still a minority and many think January would be enhanced by a glass of something slightly stronger.

Foodies too, I now find a moment where I react against the rich and heavy Christmas fare and even got a little bored with comfort food. I want the spiciness, spiciness and spiciness of Korean, Sichuan and other spicy cuisines, as well as the crisp freshness and crunch of Southeast Asian salads. Luckily, we have Chinese and Vietnamese New Year coming up next weekend to take that itch away.

Wine with spicy food is controversial, of course, and there is still a school of thought that you are pretentious or willful in drinking anything other than lager. Obviously, as a wine lover, I would disagree, and there are plenty of wines that pair perfectly well with Chinese cuisine (see last year's column on the subject).

The wines that most people still instinctively seek out are aromatic whites, especially Riesling and Gewürztraminer. But do they work? Yes, for the most part, although the problem with wines of such distinctive character is that they can bump into each other as often as they come. Gewürztraminer, for example, is excellent with duck (especially if there is ginger), but less good with dim sum or steamed fish. (Asda has a very decent one in their Extra Special range for £7.50, although not quite as good as the Seifried in today's pick), while a dry, delicate Riesling will only do not much progress with mapo tofu, for example. The fiercer the dish, the more sweetness you usually need.

In fact, Alsace dominates the conversation about wine and spices so much that many other wines don't don't get much attention -in. Try other countries on these grapes - New Zealand is particularly strong on aromatics - or travel further afield with Torrontes from Argentina, Fernao Pires from Portugal, Moschofilero from Greece and the many iterations of Muscat and Moscatel . It's also Tryanuary, after all.

And just for you dry Janners, I know I've recommended it before, but it's worth mentioning again: I really like Saicho's sparkling jasmine tea. At £17.99 a bottle, it's more expensive than I think - and more than any of the wines below in my pick today - but it would be perfect for a New Year's Eve dim sum feast. Chinese year. As would, of course, jasmine or chrysanthemum tea, although a little cheaper.

Emiliana Novas Riesling 2021, 9.59 £ Rannoch Scott, £10 Cabins, 13.5%. This Chilean is more like an Australian Riesling than a German, and has a lively hint of lime that would go well with a Vietnamese herb salad.

Ara Single Vineyard Pinot Gray 2022 £8.99 (on offer, from £11.99) Waitrose, 13.5%. An off-dry kiwi that would go great with chicken noodle salad.

Seifried Gewürztraminer 2021 £12.99 Waitrose, 12.5%. A stunner from an off-dry New Zealand Gewürz. Would be great with Sichuan food or Thai red curry.

Adega de Pegões 'Selected Harvest' White 2021 £9.99 (or £8.99 on mix six) Majestic (they also sell the 2020, but go for this one), 13%. A lovely aromatic Portuguese white based primarily on the native Fernão Pires grape. A wine to sip with sushi or Vietnamese spring rolls.

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