The atas world of wine has always existed in a very different plane than the comforting realm of hawker food — they’re just two distinct entities that just won’t mix well together like lard and lychee.
Gerard Lu however begs to differ. As one of Singapore’s most sought-after sommelier and general manager of Praelum Wine Bistro, it’s in his professional opinion that it’s not impossible to pair iconic local dishes with clarets, vinho verdes and other vinous fluids.
Munchies recently reached out to the award-winning wine pro and got him to recommend some suitable wine pairings with char kway teows, chilli crabs, wanton mees and more. It’s all about finding the right compliment to the essence of the dishes — Hainanese chicken rice for example go well with viognier from Australia or New Zealand, because “bright stone fruits add dimension with the simple salty and spicy flavors”. In turn, the acidity of German riesling “Kabinett levels and above” is supposedly amazing with the rich egg-laden sauce of chili crab dishes.
As folks who can’t tell the difference between $20 wines from Cold Storage and the $332,640 bottle of 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, we don’t really comprehend Lu’s oenophilist jargons. Check out the rest of his recommended pairings on Munchies, and just take note that you can never go wrong with white wines (or Tiger Beer) here.
