Dinner Tasting: Thai Takeout

For our second dinner blog, my roommates and I decided to get Thai takeout. We picked up some wine from Kroger that we thought might pair well with the dishes.

We decided the try the drunken noodles first since we read that Champagne is a good aperitif from Wine Folly.

Wine Folly also mentioned that Champagne pairs well with anything that is salty or fried. Therefore, since drunken noodles are fried the most out of our dishes, this seemed like a great paring. It is important to note that the wine we tried is a Champagne blend since it is not made in Champagne, France. Some other information on the wine is below:

Name: J. Roget American Champagne Extra Dry

Variety of Grape(s): 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier

Region/Country of Origin: California, USA

Vintage Year: 2021

Price: $8

Before trying the wine with food, my roommates and I tasted the Champagne blend. From smelling it initially, I got apple and pear notes. This lined up well with Wine Folly’s mention of yellow apple in the notes section. After tasting the blend, I thought it tasted like a less sweet version of apple cider. Nonetheless, it was still very sweet, especially for wine. Generally, the wine was light, crisp, and fruity.

When the wine was paired with the drunken noodles, I thought they complimented each other well. The sweetness of the Champagne blend was a nice contrast to the saltiness of the drunken noodles. Further, the dish was less heavy with the wine and not overpowering. The wine also brought out the Thai spices, soy sauce, and peppers in the noodles, which I thought was great. I think both were made better by pairing the two; however, they would do just fine on their own. I would buy this J. Roget again for sure. My roommates and I agreed that it was terrific, especially being a sparkling wine for only $8.

On to the next dish!

My roommates and I decided to try the Pad Thai next. We paired it with Sauvignon Blanc since Wine Folly described that it pairs well with Asian food.

Information on the Sauvignon Blanc is below:

Name: Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region/Country of Origin: Hopland, California, USA

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $15

Without trying the Sauvignon Blanc with food, I could smell melon, honeydew, and lemon notes. The wine tasted light, oaky, and woody, and was surprisingly minimally acidic. I tasted grapefruit, melon, lemon, and green apple notes. It was a good amount of sweet and acidic in my opinion.

After pairing the Sauvignon Blanc with the Pad Thai, I thought the spices of the Pad Thai were brought out by the wine and the sweetness and acidity of the wine was brought out with the Pad Thai. I could taste more of the fruity flavor, especially lemon, in the wine after pairing them together. The wine also toned down the saltiness of the Pad Thai, making it less heavy. I thought both complimented each other nicely, and I would pair these dishes together again. However, I think they again would be fine separately. My roommate, Arin really enjoyed this wine; however, it was not my favorite. Nonetheless, I did think it was good and would purchase it again.

The final course!

Our last dish was the red curry. We decided to pair it with a Chardonnay since we thought the creaminess of the curry would compliment the wine well and vice versa.

Some information on the wine is below:

Name: Kendall-Jackson Avant Unoaked Chardonnay

Variety of Grape(s): 100% Chardonnay

Region/Country of Origin: Santa Rosa, California, USA

Vintage Year: 2020

Price: $17

We tried the Chardonnay without food first. I smelled honey, apple, and floral notes. After tasting it I thought it was light, crisp, and not buttery—which I was happy about but was not surprised about since it was unoaked. I sensed notes of apple and pear. It was more dry than sweet and was not too acidic.

After trying the wine with the red curry, I thought the creaminess and heaviness of the curry was cut down by the Chardonnay. Also, the fruit flavors of the wine were brought out when paired with the curry. Unfortunately, the Chardonnay overpowered the curry slightly because of the acidity. Further, the curry made the wine more acidic. I do not think the pairing was that good and think the wine and curry would be better separately overall. I would purchase this K-J Avant again but would probably try something new before doing so.