Off-Dry and Sweet Wines are the Cure for Spicy Food 【吃辣就是要配甜甜的酒才對味】
Food：
Baihe Mala Tofu Skin (Baihe Spicy Tofu Skin)
Wine of my choice：
Weingut Borell Diehl Gewürztraminer Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany 🇩🇪 2018
Baihe Mala Tofu Skin Pair With Off-Dry Gewürztraminer from Germany 🇩🇪
All of our friends know that my husband and I love spicy food. We enjoy the spiciness and numbness while having spicy food. We love spicy food so much that we even made it to Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan, which is famous for its spicy cuisine, two year ago.
One night, my husband, Bruce, suggested that he wanted to make a dish called “Baihe Mala Tofu Skin” (Baihe Spicy Tofu Skin), a local specialty from Baihe, a town located in Longquanyi area in Chengdu, Sichuan. I have never heard of the dish before but intrigued.
Bruce explained that he randomly watched this video 「大師的菜」on YouTube and found it fascinating. The dish is made with thinly sliced tofu skin, ground pork, minced garlic, fermented black soybeans, soy sauce, Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste), red pepper powder, ground Sichuan peppercorn and leek.
According to Mr. Fan, the owner/chef of the restaurant, “Fanjia Tofu Skin” featured in 「大師的菜」’s video, he said, “The most important ingredient of the dish is the tofu skin. Good quality tofu skin requires good resilience. It won’t break easily as you pull or cook. Furthermore, it’s all about how you cut it. The thinner you cut; the better texture would be.”
This is only about how you prep the ingredients. Now it comes to the cooking part. Mr. Fan said in the video, “The key to make the dish standing out is how you thicken the sauce by adding cooking starch and incorporate all the ingredients and flavor together. How to define if the dish is cooked to perfection? If there is no soup left in the bowl only a thin layer of oil when the dish is finished, then this bowl of Baihe Mala Tofu Skin serves as a perfect example. If there is a lot of soupy sauce left in the bowl, then the thickening part must go wrong.”
After watching the video with Bruce, it seems super challenging just to make the dish but he has his mind set up and was ready to take the challenge. Well, how would I say no to him if I have the opportunity to taste a new dish and pair wine with it? Oh yes, the challenge was on, for both of us.
After consulting with Bruce on how he planed to make the Baihe Mala Tofu Skin and tasted the dish halfway through, I picked an off-dry Gewürztraminer from Germany to pair with it. I will explain why I picked this wine in the following chapter but let’s us dive in what is Gewürztraminer first and what it tastes like.
Photo credit: Rolf Kranz / Wikimedia Commons / CC by SA-4.0
Grape Variety: Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer, a white grape variety with difficult pronunciation to many people, has a complicated parentage and uncertain origin that ampelographers suggest it might be a mutation of Savagnin Rose. The earliest mention of the name Gewürztraminer is written by Johann Metzger (1827) in Germany. The oldest Gewürztraminer vineyard is found in Pfalz, Germany and the vineyard is more than 400-years-old where the grape is called Rotor Traminer.
Although Gewürztraminer is a white grape variety, when ripen, the fruits turn pink to red. The color of the wine is usually gold and tinged with copper hue. Super sensitive to climate and soil, Gewürztraminer tends to grow well in cooler climate but resents chalky soils. It is also prone to many vine diseases and frost. It needs dry and hot summer to ripen in order to develop its aroma compounds.
Different from non-aromatic white grape varieties, Gewürztraminer is known for its distinctively perfumed aromas, such as lychee, rose petals, followed by ripe apricot, yellow peach, pineapple, passion fruit, and melon. Aged Gewürztraminer can develop notes of ginger, allspice and smoke. “Gewürz” in German literally means “spice”. Hence, it’s not hard to imagine the aroma and flavor profiles of the grape variety by just looking at its name.
Wine made with Gewürztraminer can be ranged from dry to sweet. The high sugar content accumulated in Gewürztraminer when ripen makes it a perfect candidate for late harvest sweet wine. Gewürztraminer is usually full-bodied with round mouthfeel and low to moderate acidity. For those who enjoy aromatic wine with low acidity, Gewürztraminer is a wonderful option.
Off-Dry Gewürztraminer from Germany 🇩🇪
The Producer: Weingut Borell Diehl
Located in Hainfeld, Pfalz, in south west of Germany, Borell Diehl is established by husband-and-wife team, Thomas Diehl and Annette Borell, in 1990. The Borell family has worked in the winegrowing business for generations and Thomas is an expert in viticulture. Combining two families’ expertise and love for wine, Borell Diehl serves as a new journey for them to embark on.
Annette and Thomas’s oldest son, George, took over the management of the estate after working at several celebrated wineries in Germany and an internship in New Zealand in 2016. Borell Diehl has entered the second chapter under George’s leadership. The estate vineyards have implied dry farming along with sustainable practices. As of 2018, the wines they produce are certified vegan by the European Vegetarian Union.
What does Borell Diehl Gewürztraminer Kabinett Taste Like?
Made with 100% Gewürztraminer, the wine displays gorgeous golden color with hit of cooper hue. The expressive floral and ripe fruit notes unfold themselves while I pour the wine in the glass. To be specific, aromas of lychee, red rose petals, mango, dried apricot, honey and ogontoh jump out right of the glass. After a sip, the wine is off-dry and perfumed with honeysuckle, lychee, stone fruits, and tropical fruits overlaid with hints of ginger and allspice. The finish lingers in the mouth and I like it so much.
I really enjoy the sweetness of the kabinett level of this Gewürztraminer. The sweetness is just right along with the bright acidity. It is so delightful to sip on just by its own but it could go very well with so many kinds of food, too.
How Does Gewürztraminer Complement the Baihe Mala Tofu Skin?
The experience of tasting the Baihe Mala Tofu Skin is fun and unique. I have no expectation of what the dish would taste like. After a bite, the tofu skin sort of melt in my mouth but still has some texture. The tofu skin serves as a perfect vehicle to carry the thickened sauce, which is salty, spicy, and savory. Ground pork and leek provide another layer of flavor and texture. I would say the flavor is very similar to Mapo Tofu but the tofu is swapped out with tofu skin.
This off-dry Gewürztraminer goes unbelievably well with the Baihe Mala Tofu Skin. The sweetness of the Gewürztraminer not only reduce the pungent feeling on the taste nerves in the mouth, but the spice notes of the wine complement the aroma and flavor of ground Sichuan peppercorn and bring out a new layer of aromas that I didn’t anticipate, which is incredible.
Having off-dry or sweet wine to go with spicy food serves as the same theory of drinking milk or having yogurt to decrease the spiciness in the mouth and stomach. If you haven’t tried this type of pairing, I highly recommend you do so. You may find your tolerance of spiciness gets better after trying this pairing combo.
Where to buy Weingut Borell Diehl Gewürztraminer Kabinett?
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【吃辣就是要配甜甜的酒才對味】
熟知我們夫妻倆的朋友都知道，我跟先生是嗜辣之人，無辣不歡。當先生提出說要做這道「柏合麻辣豆腐皮」時，我心裡想說這是到什麼菜，怎麼連聽都沒聽過。後來得知，先生是看了「大師的菜」短視頻後，好奇這道菜吃起來是什麼風味，便想挑戰試做看看。有新菜可以試吃，還可以挑戰做餐酒搭配，一舉兩得，何樂而不為？
柏合麻辣豆腐皮搭配半甜的德國格烏茲塔明那（Gewürztraminer）
餐點：
柏合麻辣豆腐皮
餐酒：
Weingut Borell Diehl Gewürztraminer Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany 🇩🇪 2018
話說柏合豆腐皮是四川成都的著名當地小吃，柏合鎮座落在成都市龍泉驛內，距離成都市中心約50分鐘的車程。在柏合鎮內賣豆腐皮的餐館中又以范家豆腐皮最為人稱讚。范家豆腐皮的老闆范中良說：「這道菜最重要的便是豆腐皮本身。首先，原材料要好，好的豆腐皮要有彈性，具張力，一拉不會斷，還要捏不成坨，甩煮不斷。其次便是刀工，豆腐皮切的時候要粗細一致且均勻，一公釐的粗細最為理想。如果用切好的豆腐皮穿過縫衣服的針，穿上十根豆腐絲都不在話下。這豆腐皮切得越細，口感越好，入口化為渣，口感堪稱一絕。
柏合豆腐皮最主要有兩種口味：白味及麻辣。白味就是不辣的口味，以肉末、香菇、番茄、蔥花加上豆腐皮燉煮，以潤、鮮、清爽宜人的滋味著稱; 麻辣則以肉末、豆瓣、蒜蓉、豆豉、醬油、海椒粉、花椒、蒜苗為主，以其顏色、形態、香氣及味道見長，燙而不縮。「不管是烹煮白味或辣味，這道菜成敗的關鍵落在勾芡。芡勾得好，顏色、味道、香氣既能均勻的吸附在芡上，又能包裹著豆腐皮。勾得好的芡是豆腐皮一吃完，碗裡不剩湯，只剩一層薄薄的油。芡勾得不到位的，則豆腐皮吃完就剩了很多湯水。」范老闆在「大師的菜」的視頻裡跟大家分享著。
別看這一碗不起眼的豆腐皮，除了原材料要好，從刀工至烹煮，其實還蘊藏了很多眉眉角角，有沒有真功夫，都可以在此體現出來。再者，吃這道菜時還得特別小心，別看這剛起鍋的豆腐皮連煙都不冒，還以為是涼菜，大口地往嘴裡送，小心燙得滿嘴泡。這是油把水蒸氣包覆在芡裡，吃的時候還得先讓熱氣散一散才好。
了解了這道菜的製作過程及風味後，便進入了選擇餐酒的環節。由於先生製作的這道麻辣豆腐皮是麻辣鮮香，吃起來與陳麻婆豆腐的味道極為類似，而豆腐皮是軟嫩帶點豆香，於是我選擇了帶了點甜度的德國產的格烏茲塔明那（Gewürztraminer）來搭配這道菜。等等我會在下面的章節詳細的說明我選擇這瓶酒的原因。首先，讓我們先來了解一下格烏茲塔明那這個葡萄的來歷及個性。
圖片來源: Rolf Kranz / Wikimedia Commons / CC by SA-4.0
葡萄品種: 格烏茲塔明那 (Gewürztraminer)
格烏茲塔明那，有著非常繞口難念的名字，連很多美國人都不曉得怎麼唸的白葡萄品種。而其真正的發源地及父母是誰，目前還是未知數。葡萄品種誌學家（Ampelographyers）目前所提出最可靠的說法是格烏茲塔明那非常有可能是Savagnin Rose 的變種。在德國最早出現以格烏茲塔明這個葡萄的名字的記載是在Johann Metzger (1827) 寫的書中。全世界最老的格烏茲塔明葡萄園則座落於德國的Pfalz產區，已有四百多年的歷史。
雖然格烏茲塔明那是白葡萄品種，但其果實成熟時顏色會像紅葡萄一般，因此釀造出來的酒顏色通常比較深，常呈現金黃還帶點紅銅的色澤。格烏茲塔明那對氣候及土壤相當的敏感，在偏寒涼的氣候長得特別好，但要是長在白垩土壤含量豐富的土裡，可能就不大妙。另外，它又很容易感染疾病，也怕霜害; 在成長的過程中又需要乾熱的夏季讓果實成熟，得以發展培養其獨特的香氣。
有別於其他非芳香性的白葡萄品種（例如夏多內），格烏茲塔明那以它類香水般的濃郁氛芳及果香而獨數一格。其風味的特殊性如果是放在盲飲的酒款中，是很不容易猜錯的一種酒款。
格烏茲塔明那的格烏茲（Gewürz）在德語中是指香料的意思，由此不難想見從它的名字來聯想這個葡萄可能擁有的風味。第一個最最突出的風味便是荔枝，再來就是玫瑰花瓣的香氣。果味的部分則有杏桃、黃桃、鳳梨、百香果及哈密瓜等等。根據熟成年份的不同，稍微陳年的格烏茲塔明那則會發展出薑黃粉、多香果及微微的煙燻味。品質好的格烏茲塔明那也是相當具有陳年的潛力的。
格烏茲塔明那釀出來的酒可甜可不甜。但其果實成熟時所含有高度的含糖量，讓格烏茲塔明那非常適合做成晚摘型的甜葡萄酒或甜點酒。不論是甜還是不甜的酒款，格烏茲塔明那飲來，口感都屬圓潤，酒體豐厚，酸度偏低。喜歡香氣濃郁，酸度不要太高的葡萄酒愛好者，格烏茲塔明那一定會是你們的菜。
半甜的德國格烏茲塔明那（Gewürztraminer）
酒莊：Weingut Borell Diehl
座落在德國西部偏南的法爾茲（Pfalz） 產區的小鎮 Hainfeld 內的 Borell Diehl 酒莊是由 Annette Borell and Thomas Diehl 夫妻倆結合兩家人對釀造葡萄酒的熱愛，在 1990 年時共同開創的品牌。他們夫妻倆從一開始 5 公頃的葡萄園發展到至今有 35 公頃的葡萄園。這些葡萄園主要由 7 個地塊組成，分別散落於 Hainfeld 的鎮內。
在頗有名氣的酒莊經歷了一連串的實習後，Annette 及 Thomas 的大兒子George 目前已接手 Borell Diehl 酒莊的經營，開啟了Borell Diehl 酒莊的第二個篇章。Borell Diehl 酒莊所擁有的葡萄園全面採取旱作及永續經營農法耕種。Borell Diehl 酒莊所生產的酒更在2018年時取得了歐洲素食聯盟（European Vegetarian Union）純素產品的認證。
Borell Diehl 格烏茲塔明那 Kabinett 喝起來的口感與風味
這瓶由100％ 格烏茲塔明那釀造的白葡萄酒閃爍著耀眼的金黃色澤， 奔放的花香及果香在酒液緩緩倒入杯中時早已滿室馨香。甜美的荔枝、紅玫瑰的芬芳、愛文芒果、杏桃果乾、蜂蜜及黃金糖的香氣爭先恐後地自杯中一躍而出，互不相讓。一入口，爽滑而甜美，佔滿鼻腔的花果香再度在口中湧現。再抿一口酒，甜甜的滋味令人展開笑顏，爽脆的酸度自兩頰生津，解了這份甜膩。
這款酒的餘韻悠長，花果香在口腔中悠轉，久久揮之不去。Kabinett 程度的甜是討喜的，像是珍奶的三分至半糖的甜度。不會太少也不會過多。單喝不覺得膩，搭餐享用也非常適宜。
截長補短：柏合麻辣豆腐皮與格烏茲塔明那的互補之處
第一次品嚐柏合麻辣豆腐皮，體驗是新奇的。切成了如髮細般的豆腐皮，入口化渣而略帶勁道。芡汁和著腐皮一同入口，是鹹香椒麻，香辣帶勁。肉末與酸苗增添了另一層的鮮味及口感。要給沒有吃過的人形容這道菜的味道的話，我會說這道菜像是芡比較濃稠的陳麻婆豆腐，而豆腐給換成了豆腐皮。希望這樣的形容能幫助各位想像這道菜的風味。
微甜的格烏茲塔明那配著香辣的柏合麻辣豆腐皮一起飲用真的是絕妙的搭配。甜甜的格烏茲塔明那不僅能中和減緩了麻辣豆腐皮在口中所帶來的刺激感，它的花果香與花椒的香氣碰撞在一起，產出了新的風味，好生奇妙！這樣的餐酒搭配是屬於互補型的，以葡萄酒裡所帶有的甜度來降低口腔感官的辛辣感，安撫著受了刺激的味蕾。其道理與喝牛奶或優酪乳來減低辛辣感是類似的道理。
還沒有試過以微甜或甜葡萄酒來搭配麻辣料理的朋友們，這樣的餐酒搭配真的很值得試試看！你會發現，以這樣的搭配方式吃辣的食物，不僅能降低吃口腔及胃的不適感，還能增進食慾，讓你吃辣的功力大增，一舉數得，趕緊試試看吧！
上哪裏可以找 Weingut Borell Diehl 酒莊的烏茲塔明？
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無論是搭配地道的台灣小吃、泰國菜、日本料理、韓國料理、甚至印度料理，
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