Can’t Travel to ‘The White Lotus’? Then Pair Classic Thai Dishes with Wine at Home

• By WineBottleMag
• March 24, 2025
• Classic Dishes Home Lotus Pair Thai Travel White Wine
• With 0 comments

If you’ve noticed yourself craving Thai cuisine more often than usual, it could be The White Lotus effect, with all eyes on Thailand in the latest installment of the popular murder mystery series. And while this season hasn’t honed in on any specific aspect of Thai food or drink culture—yet? One hopes?— the predictably high-strung cast sure is drinking a lot of wine.

Thai food is nothing if not intense, with acidity, salt, sweetness, umami and oftentimes spice turned all the way up, all at once. Conventional wine wisdom would suggest an off-dry white as a perfect pairing for anything exhibiting that level of heat, however somms in Thai restaurants can’t exactly throw a Mosel Riesling at every dish and call it a day. 

Tempering the heat isn’t always what guests want when it comes to enjoying Thai food, anyway. “I don’t necessarily want to dial down the physical sensation of spicy Thai food, because it’s one of the iconic characteristics of it,” says Jove Tripp-Thompson, sommelier at New York’s Bangkok Supper Club. “That thinking has really opened the door for me to being open to exploring selections beyond off-dry whites and light-bodied reds.” 

Dry whites, bold reds and even some iconic dessert wines can also come to the table when Thai food is served.

We spoke to three sommeliers in Thai restaurants for their well-practiced takes on pairing wine with nine classic Thai dishes.

Pad Thai with Chenin Blanc

Considered by many to be the standard bearer for Thai food, or at least the starting point for those new to the cuisine, sweet, sour and savory pad Thai calls for something that meets it on multiple levels. “I like a Chenin Blanc option for its aromatics, maybe from South Africa,” says Tripp-Thompson. “I want to add a little bit of honey. I want to add a little bit of rich fruitiness to go with the savoriness of pad Thai.”

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Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad) with Moscato d’Asti

Not an average fruit salad by any means, underripe papaya meets chilli, lime, peanuts and fish sauce for a dish that is more tart and way more spicy than fruity. 

“For this I would go off-dry, like a Moscato d’Asti,” says Phuengthum Khathipphathee, sommelier at Bangkok’s Michelin-starred Restaurant Potong. “Something a little bit floral and fizzy,” she adds, which can lift the delicate fruit flavors behind the dish’s complexity and heat.

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Tom Yum with Sauvignon Blanc

Thai hot and sour soup, tom yum, leads not only with heat, but with a pronounced bolt of lightning-like acidity. One of its best matches does the same. 

“I prefer a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc for tom yum,” says Luca Polise, sommelier at London’s KOYN Thai. “It’s quite fruity, and quite citrusy, which goes well not only with the spice, but balances the flavor of the soup very well.”

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Larb with Grenache

Larb is a sharp and spicy ground pork salad that’s typically served with an abundance of fresh herbs, and goes well with a red that can also have an herbaceous or even minty characteristic. “I like to pair this with Grenache,” says Polise, whose restaurant actually offers tableside larb service. “Something from Côtes-du-Rhône,” he says, “which has a medium body, smooth and delicate, which can handle the complex consistency of the dish.”

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Green Curry with Malbec

Coconut-based Thai curries can benefit from a hint of oak, but rather than default to Chardonnay, “I think green curry goes well with red wine,” says Khathipphathee, especially if you choose your curry with a rich meat option such as beef. Green curry takes its signature flavor from a bouquet of herbs, “and Malbec is kind of fruity, so you get a little bit of a counterpoint,” she says. “I like to look for an Argentinian Malbec that’s not too full-bodied, but restrained and elegant.”

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Pad Krapow (Spicy Thai Basil) and Red Burgundy

Thai basil, as an herb, is more aromatically intense than Italian basil. As a dish, pad krapow takes this herbaceousness and intensifies it further with chilli and garlic. 

“I do think the whole-cluster fermentation effect from Burgundy pairs really nicely when you start to have these herbaceous aromas, such as Thai basil,” says Tripp-Thompson. “Those wines typically tend to have noticeable tannin perception, and they have a little bit more of a body sensation to them as well,” he says, which can also stand up to the richness of a stir-fried dish.

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Massaman Curry with Orange Gewurztraminer

The personality of massaman curry comes from its peanut base, giving it a strong sense of umami. Firm tannin and umami flavors can sometimes clash, but Khathipphathee recommends a pairing with a little tannin, strong aromatics and its own sort of umami. “My favorite to explore now is orange wine with the cuisine,” she says. “For massaman, you can pair an orange wine that’s not too funky, ideally made from Gewurztraminer.”

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Pad See Ew and Primitivo/Zinfandel

Pad see ew is like pad Thai’s cousin that studied abroad, taking influence from Chinese cuisine with a caramelized soy sauce that lends a little extra sweetness and char to the dish. “I want to go towards a juicier red wine for pad see ew,” says Tripp-Thompson. “I think a Primitivo or Zinfandel could be great because of the jamminess and the fruitiness that you can get on those.” 

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Mango Sticky Rice with Sauternes

Capping off an abundantly savory and spicy meal, mango sticky rice is a classic Thai dessert with pronounced sweetness from fresh mango and coconut milk. “I really like to pair this with Sauternes,” says Polise. “The honeyed nose that Sauternes has, with a touch of ginger and the rich texture, I think balances the dish very well.”

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More Pairings Coverage

• Who knows where the next season of The White Lotus will be located. Maybe you can prepare with these Japanese food and wine pairings.
• Or try these Indian food and wine pairings.
• You could also just enjoy the rest of this season with some couch caviar.
• And, if you just want to hone in on your pairing game, check out this guide on matching wines to these notoriously tough foods.

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