One of the more peculiar press releases I received this year came ahead of International Cabernet Sauvignon Day (which was on August 27, in case you were wondering) and included a recipe for a recommended food match. The cabernet in question was described as having blackcurrant and mulberry notes with hints of cigar box, cedar and oak. Its tannins were "well balanced" and it had a "full and lingering finish".In short, it sounded like a lovely match for steak or a hearty beef stew. Instead, what we got was a recipe for Asian pork belly served on pickled ginger sweet potato mash.Clearly the recipe had been carefully thought out, including a tip for weighing down the slow-cooked meat overnight before its final roasting: "Use old magazines wrapped in cling film as weights to press the pork belly - it works wonderfully!"story_article_left1But would the food and wine match have worked wonderfully? I doubt it. In addition to ginger (picked as well as fresh), the recipe called for lemon grass, soya sauce, chilli and coriander - wonderful flavours that, alas, make red wine tannins taste astringent and bitter.For Asian food, you need wines that are equally aromatic, with pronounced fruit flavours and refreshing acidity. The hotter the spice, the sweeter the wine should be - and lower in alcohol, too, to avoid fanning those chilli flames.Grape varieties to consider include gewürztraminer, muscat de frontignan and chenin blanc, but personally I think it's hard to beat an off-dry riesling that can stand up to the saltiness of soya as well as any sweetness and spice. The aromatic Groote Post 2015 (recommended retail price R79) has concentrated pineapple and grapefruit flavours as well as exotic ginger, all balanced by mouth-watering acidity to enhance Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes...