Satay

Satay

Assuming skewers of chicken or beef, marinated with lemongrass and turmeric, grilled and served with a sweet peanut sauce, cucumber and lime.

Satay is smoky from the grill, nutty and sweet from the peanut sauce, with a little chilli and lime. The wine needs a touch of fruit or sweetness to match the sauce, fresh acidity for the lime, and low tannin and moderate alcohol so the chilli stays calm. Big, tannic reds turn bitter and hot against it.

Pairs Perfectly. Pinot Gris, Alsace, France, off dry. Ripe pear, peach and a gentle spice with a round, full texture, which meets the richness of peanut sauce and softens the chilli. For a fully dry glass, the Cinsault rosé below is the one.

Pairs Well. Torrontés, Salta, Argentina, off dry. Aromatic, with lime, rose and a grapey sweetness on fresh acidity, very good with lemongrass, and priced for any night of the week.

Pairs Well. Cinsault rosé, Western Cape, South Africa, pale and dry. Light and gently red fruited, fresh against grilled meat and the cucumber relish.

Worth Seeking Out

Scheurebe from the Pfalz, Germany, off dry. Pink grapefruit and blackcurrant leaf on high acidity, a bright match for lime and peanut.

Avoid

Big, oaky, tannic reds and high alcohol wines. Tannin and alcohol make chilli burn and clash with the sweet sauce.

Failing That

A Vouvray demi-sec, Loire.

If All Else Fails

Pale rosé from Provence.

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