Thai Chicken and Vidal Blanc

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, our Vidal Blanc is available again in our tasting room. And it just so happens to be on deck for my food pairing project! As soon as I tasted the Vidal, I knew I needed to find some strong flavors to match it. It has a faint sweetness to it, making it an ideal companion for a spicy, pungent meal. Have you ever had a really light, dry white wine with a heavily spiced dish? In my experience, the wine can literally fall flat in your mouth, losing its character. But this slightly sweet wine is an excellent contrast to fiery heat... it stands its ground when your mouth is tingling with hot pepper and garlic, and your nose is nudged awake by the perfume-y essence of basil and ginger.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Basil and Chiles, Thai Style

adapted from How to Cook Everything

by Mark Bittman

1/4 cup of corn oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 jalapenos

1 1/2 large onion, sliced

1/2 cup chopped scallion, plus more for garnish

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch chunks and blotted dry

1 cup shredded basil leaves, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)

1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine (I used Vidal!)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Put a large skillet over high heat. Add half the oil, swirl it around, and immediately add half of the garlic and ginger and all of the jalapenos. Cook for 15 seconds, stirring, then add the onion and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat down to medium and remove the vegetables.

Add the remaining oil to the pan, then the remaining garlic and ginger. Stir, then add the chicken. Raise the heat to high. Stir once every minute until the chicken is slightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Return the vegetables to the pan and toss once or twice. Add the scallion, basil, sugar, soy sauce and nam pla. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock or wine. Raise heat to high and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until liquid is slightly reduced (about 30 seconds). Garnish with scallion and basil and serve immediately over rice.