Spicy Asian

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Spicy Asian Chicken · Spicy Asian Grilled Shrimp · Halibut With A Spicy Asian Flair +1 more Spicy Asian Chicken · Spicy Asian Grilled Shrimp · Halibut With A Spicy Asian Flair · Asian Meatballs With Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Spicy Asian Chicken · Spicy Asian Grilled Shrimp · Halibut With A Spicy Asian Flair

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Works with Spicy Asian Grilled Shrimp · Halibut With A Spicy Asian Flair

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.

Works with Spicy Asian Chicken · Asian Meatballs With Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce

White · Light · Off-dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Works with Spicy Asian Chicken · Shrimp With Thai Inspired Or Other Spicy Asian Sauce

Rosé · Light · Dry

Provence's gift to summer — dry, pale, faintly strawberry-and-citrus, with low alcohol and crisp acid. Made to drink cold, with food, in the shade.

Works with Spicy Asian Chicken · Spicy Asian Grilled Shrimp

White · Light · Dry

Galicia's gift to summer — citrus, peach, salt air, and acid like a knife. Made for shellfish, paella, and any dish that involves the sea.

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Spain's traditional-method sparkling, made in Catalunya. Crisper and chalkier than Prosecco; remarkable value next to Champagne. Pair with jamón, tortilla, and grilled vegetables.

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Méthode champenoise from the most chalk-rich corner of France — fine bubbles, brioche, lemon zest, and a finish that goes on for half a minute. The wine for anything fried, salty, or special.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Lychee, rose petal, and a touch of ginger; medium-bodied, low-acid, and unmistakable. The wine for any cuisine where the spice cabinet did the heavy lifting.

White · Light · Dry

The Loire's seaside white — Melon de Bourgogne grape, bone-dry, slightly briny, perfectly transparent. The platonic ideal of oyster wine.

White · Light · Dry

Umbria's classic white — blended for breezy, lemony drinkability with a touch of pear. The grocery-store version is fine; producer-bottled ones quietly improve any summer evening.