Some of the most interesting Asian dishes combine meat and seafood on the same plate. For this reason, the time-honoured European rule of red wine with red meat is often obsolete in these parts. Take the humble Vietnamese grilled beef salad. The best result comes from using ordinary cuts of meat rather than prime fillet. The meat is sliced thinly against the muscle grain to break up the tough meat fibres. It's quickly char-grilled to preserve the flavourful meat juices. A European cooking style for the same cut may produce more intense stews, which would then demand hefty, tannic reds.
Ata Rangi Pinot Noir 2001, Martinborough, New Zealand
There are only a few truly great pinot noirs made within Burgundy, and even fewer elsewhere. This Ata Rangi is compulsory tasting for any aspiring Pinot-phile. It's about one-tenth the price of the greatest Domaine Romanee-Conti bottlings, with about half their complexity and sensual textures. It's a perfect match with Vietnamese grilled beef salad. The aromatic and crunchy shallots, garlic and chilli heighten the wine's solid, concentrated base fruit. The oak barrel handling flavours are extended into a new dimension by the charred meat notes. In hugely concentrated vintages, this Ata Rangi may even overpower the beef salad.
Available for $550 from Altaya (tel: 2523 1945)
Chassagne Montrachet
2003, Maison Champy,