4 Wines to Pair with Beloved Filipino Gourmet Recipes

Explore the perfect wine pairings for beloved Filipino gourmet recipes. Discover how Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz enhance the flavors of lechon, sisig, adobo, and nilaga. Elevate your dining experience with these exquisite combinations.

What makes Filipino cuisine special is its versatility. Shaped by numerous culinary traditions brought on by years of colonial rule, Filipino food covers a wide range of gastronomic experiences, infusing rich Asian flavors with those catering to Western palates. It’s no surprise that certain Filipino dishes match well with certain wines. It’s always the right choice of wine that brings out the best that Filipino gourmet food has to offer.

Whether you’re a restaurant owner looking to expand your menu with fusion Filipino food or you’re an enthusiast for Filipino flavors and wine-tasting, it matters to explore the right combinations of gourmet recipes with the right beverage option. With this in mind, let’s take a look at a few notable wine pairings for some of the most beloved Filipino gourmet recipes:

1. Riesling and Lechon

Let’s first talk about one of many staples that dominate every Filipino dinner table during major occasions such as a fiesta or a wedding reception. Anyone will tell you that they look forward to taking a bite of the crispy and juicy skin of well-roasted lechon which is often paired with beer and soda.

You can give the experience a touch of class by taking a sip of dry riesling. Since lechon skin is savory and succulent, you will need to balance out the taste of the fat with a good amount of sweetness that only riesling could offer. The fruitiness of the wine also enhances meat’s burnt flavor, enhancing the taste after every bite.

2. Chardonnay for Sisig

Many would associate sisig as the type of food you’d love to pair with a frosty bottle of pilsner beer at a street-side stall in Pampanga. Now that Filipino cuisine has gone international, this beloved pork dish which Anthony Bourdain described as a “symphony of pig parts” is now found in high-end restaurants featuring Filipino menus.

In case you stumble into one and think about ordering a platter of sisig, consider mixing the dish’s eclectic flavors with Chardonnay. Especially if you’re sensitive to the sourness of vinegar, the sweetness of Chardonnay is a great neutralizer that exposes you to a unique yet enjoyable flavor combination that’s guaranteed to tickle your palate.

3. Pinot Noir and Adobo

You can’t talk about Filipino cuisine without talking about adobo. This unique recipe can’t be found anywhere else except in the Philippines where almost every household knows how to prepare one in their special way. Being the face of Filipino culinary culture, adobo is now found in every country with a strong Filipino presence and where members of the local Filipino community would always crave a taste of home.

If you want to try out authentic Filipino adobo to celebrate a special occasion, consider pairing the dish with a glass of Pinot Noir. Whether made with chicken, pork, or a combination of both, adobo’s oily texture and tangy aftertaste could benefit well from the right amount of acidity that Pinot Noir offers.

4. Shiraz with Nilaga

Nothing can outmatch the comfort of a hot and steaming bowl of beef nilaga. This savory stew is best consumed during the wet season in the Philippines. Now that it’s available in places where you could find a Filipino-owned restaurant, you don’t have to pick the right season to enjoy this epitome of what comfort food should be.

You just have to pick the right beverage to go with it. If you’re in Australia booking Hunter Valley wine tours, consider pairing the stew with Shiraz which enhances the savoriness of the soup and complements the taste of beef.

Endnote

If you’re planning to satisfy your palate with Filipino gourmet selections, opt for wines that are guaranteed to bring out the best of the eclectic flavors you will be savoring.