The wines I remember most vividly blend in the context of meals, where they evolve and reveal themselves over several hours - with some opening up and others fading all too quickly. I relish the moments when a wine is given life and dimension because of a wonderful pairing. The meals below are an ode to some of the wonderful combinations of wine and food I enjoyed this year. Benu San Francisco While I love authentic local dishes, I also applaud innovation, and one of the chefs I have been following in San Francisco is Corey Lee, a Korean-American. Lee was head chef for four years at the French Laundry and despite the time he spent working with Thomas Keller, his Asian-influenced dishes at his own restaurant, Benu, are different from those he created at the French Laundry. The set dinner menu of 18 courses made wine pairing a challenge, but we chose a 1999 Leroy Bourgogne, which was surprisingly youthful and filled with bright cherry flavours laced with spices such as sweet nutmeg and with meaty notes on the finish. It was perfect with dishes such as Hokkaido sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp, cucumber, lily bulb and fermented pepper as well as the charcoal-grilled beef, Korean-style, with pear, gingko nuts and dates. If you want to take the easy option, ask Yoon Ha, the restaurant's beverage director who is also a master sommelier. Gaggan Bangkok When I was told about a "crazy Indian chef" who did a two-month stint at El-Bulli's food laboratory, it piqued my interest. I was in Bangkok speaking at the World Gourmet Summit in September, so I took the opportunity to visit Gaggan, named for chef Gaggan Anand. He describes his food as modern Indian, is as entertaining as Jamie Oliver and is obviously passionate about food. His 10-course tasting menu was astounding - each dish was a brilliant kaleidoscope of exotic flavours, and the presentation was witty and innovative. The Bruno Paillard Rose Premiere Cuvee NV was a fantastic pairing with a number of Gaggan's dishes including the umami oysters and the chilli-influenced Dover scallops. The delicious champagne lifted the spicy flavours and refreshed the palate between courses. A globally inspired, innovative Indian restaurant worth seeking out. L'Effervescence Tokyo Some of the best French food outside France can be found in Tokyo. A friend recommended a fairly new restaurant called L'Effervescence. The restaurant is hidden among residential housing, but walk up its stone steps, and one enters a modern, stylish dining room with private alcoves separated by metal mesh curtains. Here, chef Shinobu Namae serves some of the most amazing dishes with a tasting menu that reads like a poem. A recent 10-course tasting menu was called "A Prayer and the Light". Two wonderful pairings included the whole turnip slow-cooked for four hours, crab paired with the toasty, generous 1998 Clos des Goisses Champagne from Philipponnat; and the mackerel with red wine reduction and persimmons paired with the beautifully mature, silky-textured 1990 Louis Remy Latricieres-Chambertin. Namae is extremely talented and deserves more than his current one-Michelin-star rating. He has worked under Michel Bras as well as Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck. Make a booking at L'Effervescence while you can still get a table. Le Pan Restaurant Tianjin I never thought some of my best French food and wine experiences would be in China, but this year Edward Voon changed my mind. Voon was among the first chefs to present molecular cuisine to Asia. His experience with Spanish Michelin two-star chef, Paco Roncero, whom he considers his mentor, provided him with both the skills and the experience to create unique dishes for his mainly Asian clientele. Voon's food is innovative French with a European flair. His creations can now be enjoyed at Le Pan in the Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club. Among the many Voon meals and dishes I have enjoyed, one of the most memorable is the rack of lamb with morel jelly, black olives and sweet peas together with the 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache. To be perfectly honest, the wine didn't need any food: it was a rhapsody of flavours all on its own, but the beautifully cooked lamb allowed it to sing. The pairing was an opera of epic proportions. Jeannie Cho Lee is the first Asian Master of Wine. E-mail her at foodandwine@scmp.com. Follow her at asianpalate.com