The struggles of an Asian wine lover

Look, I get it. Wine is hard. It's intimidating, opaque, arcane. It has a certain image (rich, white, staid old people). I understand, I really do.

Not too long ago I was in your very position, somewhat intrigued about wine, wanting to learn more, but also somewhat apprehensive.

So here's a post dedicated to pure commiseration, to my fellow Asian wine lovers. Here's why it's so hard getting into wine while being Asian.

1. Culture Clash

Somewhat obvious, but in most Asian cultures, wine isn't the go-to drink at the dinner table, making it less likely to be part of everyday conversations or family gatherings. This lack of widespread wine culture means you’re starting from scratch, without the generational knowledge or casual exposure that many Western wine enthusiasts might take for granted.

Sometimes I wish I was born in France and my parents have a deep cellars full of aged Burgundy.

2. Lost in Translation

Many wine terms are French or European. It's hard enough to try to remember the spelling and pronunciation "terroir" and "grand cru", let alone what they mean. That's not counting "cuvée", "sur lie", "demi-sec", "doux", and my recent favorite peeve: "pétillant naturel".

Also, I don't know about you but for me, European place names and producer names are just the worst to memorize. Try saying "Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Criots-Batard-Montrachet" 3 times really quickly and see if you summon some eldritch horror.

3. Unfamiliar Flavor References

Wine tasting notes often reference flavors that might be unfamiliar or downright alien in Asian food culture. I hate descriptions that extol the virtues of a wine with hints of "quince", "elderflower", or "blackcurrant". Did not even know that "gooseberry" was a real fruit until fairly recently.

The inverse is also true. Some wines to me are dead ringers for pu-erh tea (aged Bordeaux), or bamboo shoot (natural wines), or Jinhua ham (many Syrahs). Obviously I have never seen those descriptors in tasting notes.

4. Pairing Wines with Asian Cuisine

Honestly, pairing wines with some Asian food might be a lost cause. I can't imagine anything that can truly stand against a proper spicy Sichuan dish or a richly spiced Indian curry.

But even for neutral dishes and cuisine (like Vietnamese cuisine) where it feels like there could be a good pairing, there are really not many suggestions.

It's pretty tricky: what would you pair with bun cha, a caramelized, grilled pork dish that also has a lot of fish sauce? Or pho bo, which has beef and cinnamon but also really brothy and ethereal?

I'm not saying I have to drink wine all the time. Sakes and beers work really well with Vietnamese food. But what if I want to? At least give me more options than "off-dry Riesling".

Anyway, rant over. Here is my spiel: it doesn't have to be that way. One of the reasons we really fell in love with wine is finding our tribe of Asian wine lovers in New York. With our drinking buddies and our favorite Asian-owned wine shop in Manhattan, life is that much richer.

So why don't you try to see if you can find your Asian wine tribe? Join us at one of our wine events, where I promise I will not mention the word "quince" even once. Hope to see you there!