As much as I enjoy pairing wine with cuisine from the same region (what grows together, goes together), I also have fun exploring wine and food pairings from around the world. Stretching beyond the same region opens up a world of opportunities, only limited by the imagination. So let’s get creative and pair traditional German wine with a modern Asian inspired meal.

The Wine: Living in Dallas means a limited selection of German wines; therefore, I simply do not drink enough of them. I recently bought a couple of German wines at duty free in the Frankfurt airport just to have a few bottles of German wines in my cellar. Fortunately, I recently received a sample of German Riesling. Riesling is one of my most favorite grapes so I am excited to share this wine with you.

2015 St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben Kabinett Feinherb Riesling ($18): clear pale gold; clean medium aromas of white flowers, tart citrus, fresh picked stone fruit, and firm minerality; off-dry on the palate with just a flirt of sweetness that quickly dissipated into racy and firm acidity that coats the palate in a full mouth pucker, medium+ body, long zesty finish; this wine was delicious and a perfect wine to be paired with a touch of heat

The Food: Kabinett Rieslings are known to have high acidity and a touch of sweetness, telling me this is a wine that will pair well with a touch of heat, with the sweetness helping calm the palate and integrate the flavors. Heat can mean Mexican spices or Asian spices. Either would work here. However, I had a new issue of Cooking Light and a stack of recipes I wanted to try.

I realize I feature Cooking Light recipes frequently. I have a paid subscription to the magazine. Beyond that I have no affiliation with Cooking Light. In fact, I am sure they have no idea that I exist beyond an address label and certainly do not know I regularly feature their recipes in my food and wine pairings. I just want you, my readers, to know these recipes represent how I really cook for myself and my family and how we eat.

My Choice: It was a Monday so I wanted a quick, healthy, and delicious dinner to pair with the wine. Furthermore, it was the week after we returned from London so light was my number one goal as I recovered from a week of good eating. However, light does not mean boring. I chose Cooking Light Magazine’s Miso Noodle Soup with Meatballs. First of all I love buckwheat noodles, a delicious way to clean out the system if you know what I mean. Second, the pork meatballs had a touch of red chile spice (I added quite a bit) and honey so they were delicious on their own. Finally, add in garlic, ginger, green onions, bean sprouts, and Fresno chiles and this is promised to be a well-rounded soup packed full of flavor.

The Results: This meal was everything I was hoping for. A delicious, light soup that was full of flavor paired with a crisp and refreshing German Riesling. Honestly, the wine could not have been more perfect with the soup. The soup itself was not spicy but the meatballs (with added red chile paste) and the Fresno chiles had a nice kick to them. The wine would definitely not be considered sweet, but it had just enough residual sugar to calm the palate after a bite of heat. The wine would also pair well with spicy sushi, Chinese food, or Mexican spicy peppers. So when you are thinking heat, think a white wine with a touch of RS such as Riesling, Chenin Blanc, or Gewürztraminer. Another bonus to this wine is its 10.5% ABV! I thoroughly enjoyed the wine and the soup, I would definitely enjoy both again together or separate any day.

My Song Selection: Something fun, full of energy and flavor, and perfect for this spring meal! Click play and watch your toes start tappin. Yep, that is what this dinner was like!

Get your own bottle of St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben Kabinett Feinherb Riesling and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!