Pairing Off: Will spring rolls throw wine pairing experts a curveball?

The legendary Satchel Paige had dozens of pitches in his arsenal, each with a unique name. The Long Tom couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. Little Tom was for when he was being kind to hitters. There was the Be Ball, so named because, as he once explained “it be where I want it to be.”

Why the baseball reference? Association, really—spring rolls, spring training. 

Yeah, yeah. Weak. But as it turns out, with the Thai appetizer at the plate, there are at least as many options as Paige had pitches.

“We do a sparkling Albariño that would be great,” says Kerry Winslow, wine guru and member of the Windy Oaks team in Carmel Valley. And he’s just getting started.

“Ian’s new Albariño would also be great,” Winslow continues, referring to Ian Brand and his  I.Brand & Family’s still varietal under their La Marea label. “You can do a juicy red,” he adds, pointing to a Windy Oaks Pinot Noir. 

There’s more, but he lands on something relatively new.

“Corral has a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc,” Winslow notes. “It’s very aromatic.”

Spring rolls from Zab Zab Thai Cuisine in Monterey are bright and refreshing, overflowing with fresh greens with a nutty hum from tofu. Throughout are streaks of grassy bitterness and sweet spells as the vegetables trade off.

That’s the easy part of the pairing. But each order comes with peanut sauce, which can prove a bit tricky.

“Peanut sauce is more difficult for wine,” Winslow observes. “But if you get something fruity and crisp, you offset the sauce.”

Corral Wine’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is a Musque clone from the stretch of Monterey County terroir that is kindest to the varietal, Arroyo Seco. From the hand of talented young winemaker Adrien Valenzuala, it pitches in with aromas of stewed pineapple, bushel baskets of stone fruits and ripe pear, wafting over a more stolid notion of stone pavers dappled with rain.

There’s an unexpected richness to the wine as it embraces the palate. Fruit in a compote, bright tropical wisps, parched grasses under a bright fall sun, a brisk bite of zest and—on the finish—a fundamental note of drenched minerality.

Other areas of California are known for their Sauvignon Blancs. Corral’s is a beautiful wine, belonging among the best.

With spring rolls, a spicy zest perks the wine. Yet the fruit remains calm and plush, and the spring rolls gain from the pairing. The greens appear even bright, the mint more refreshing. A nutty savor deepens in the tofu and a vegetal sweetness lends charm. Meanwhile the peanut sauce applauds both food and wine.

So Zab Zab prepares remarkable spring rolls. Corral turns out one of the top Sauvignon Blancs. It’s hard to go wrong when the two come together.