We live and work in Phuket / Thailand, where for the past 14 years we operate a highly successful Latino steakhouse. Our daily reality revolves around fire, beef, and smoke, not fish sauce, basil, and spicy chilli. Still, being in Thailand means that some guests occasionally ask for a few well known Thai dishes, so we keep a small selection on the menu to be accommodating.
This not being our core business, it’s where things become interesting. Pairing Thai food with wine is, without exaggeration, a sommelier’s nightmare. Thai cuisine refuses to behave – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and herbal notes arrive simultaneously, often with added funk from fish sauce or shrimp paste. This complexity leaves very little room for error.
The classic steakhouse wine pairing instinct of matching weight with weight, or protein with tannin collapses immediately. As a result, most diners make the very sensible choice of opting for still water, or one of Thailand’s iconic beers such as Chang or Singha. Others take the more adventurous route of reaching for local “whiskies” like Saeng Som or Mekong, overlooking that these are closer to rum than to anything a Scottish or Kentucky distillery would recognise or condone.
Wine pairing, however, is not entirely off the table. It just demands restraint, humility (as we learned the hard way), and a willingness to abandon power in favour of balance. Used carefully, some combinations can work out because they calm the heat, mirror the complex aromatics, and respect acidity instead of trying to dominate it.
With these caveats in mind, some pairings could well look like this.
• Pad Thai (Sweet Sour Fried Noodles) – Chenin Blanc
Moderate sweetness and fresh acidity help tame tamarind, palm sugar, and lime without flattening the dish.
• Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad) – Moscato d’Asti
Low alcohol, gentle fizz, and fruit sweetness act as a natural counterweight to chilli and fish sauce.
• Tom Yum (Hot Sour Soup) – Sauvignon Blanc
Bright acidity and herbal notes echo lemongrass and kaffir lime, creating a measure of alignment rather than full on conflict.
• Larb (Spicy Minced Meat Salad) – Grenache
Juicy red fruit and low tannin suit minced meat, herbs, and citrus while keeping spice in check.
• Green Curry – Malbec
This only works when coconut richness outweighs heat, but softer Malbec styles can complement the dish well.
• Pad Krapow (Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry) – Red Burgundy
Pinot Noir’s perfume and light structure handle basil and garlic far better than heavier reds ever could.
• Massaman Curry – Gewürztraminer
Aromatic intensity and gentle sweetness align with warm spices, peanuts, and slow cooked meat.
• Pad See Ew (Spicy Stir-Fried Noodles) – Primitivo or Zinfandel
Sweet soy and caramelised flavours benefit from ripe fruit and moderate alcohol.
• Mango Sticky Rice – Sauternes
When dessert meets dessert, honeyed richness mirrors coconut cream and ripe mango beautifully.
Speaking of Sauternes – a few years we decided to experiment a little too confidently. A beach, a diverse and spicy Thai meal, and a bottle of truly top shelf Sauternes sounded romantic and clever at the time. The result was a disaster, because the wine’s complexity was crushed, the food felt clumsy, and the pairing achieved the rare feat of making both taste worse. It taught us humility, and that while experience is the key, it also has its pitfalls.
Context matters too – chilli level, sugar balance, and kitchen style can shift a pairing from pleasant to painful in seconds. This is why Thai food remains one of the toughest challenges for wine professionals. The margin for error is narrow, and the punishment for getting it wrong is harsh and immediate.
In our setting as a Latino steakhouse, we therefore treat Thai dishes as guests, not hosts. When wine works, it is a pleasant surprise for guests and us alike. When it does not, beer and water are the intelligent ad respectable choices. Sometimes, the best pairing decision is knowing when wine should politely step aside and let the food speak for itself.
Image Credit: https://freepik.com
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Churrasco Phuket Steakhouse serves affordable Wagyu and Black Angus steaks and burgers. We are open daily from 12noon to 11pm at Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong / Phuket.
We are family-friendly and offer free parking and Wi-Fi for guests. See our menus, reserve your table, find our location, and check all guest reviews here:
https://ChurrascoPhuket.com/
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