One man's quest to pair western-style wines with Vietnamese foods

The former student in France recalls his first brush with western-style wine culture during a dinner with friends abroad, a moment that sparked both embarrassment and enlightenment.

"Everyone arrived with a bottle of wine as a matter of etiquette. I poured myself a full glass and downed it in one go, thinking the goal was just to get drunk. My French friends were shocked. They explained wine is meant to be savored, not gulped. Apparently doing that in front of a wine lover is almost insulting."

Nguyen Bao Anh at a wine tasting session.

Anh, 30, works for one of Hanoi's wine import and distribution firms. Starting out with no knowledge of wine, he now holds a Level 3 WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) certificate, an advanced qualification for wine professionals and enthusiasts.

The more he learned, the more fascinated he became, and so instead of just buying and drinking it, he began spending his weekends traveling to French vineyards, exploring everything from cultivation and production to storage.

"Each type of wine has its own flavor profile. Even grapes of the same variety, grown in neighboring plots, can taste different due to variations in soil, sunlight or winemaking techniques."

After six years in France he returned to Vietnam dreaming of opening his own wine shop. However, a friend in the industry suggested he should first gain more experience and understand the market.

Taking this advice, he decided to focus on sharing his wine knowledge and making wine culture more accessible in Vietnam.

"In western countries, where wine is part of daily culture, people enjoy it in parks, on sidewalks and at family meals."

He believes many Vietnamese still see western-style wines as formal and expensive and meant to be had only with western food.

But he himself used to wonder why they should not be paired with Vietnamese dishes like spring rolls or cha ca (turmeric fish with dill). His goal since has been to make these wines feel accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Since 2023 he started posting content on Facebook and TikTok about wines, highlighting Vietnamese food pairings from home cooking to street snacks.

While in France, Anh liked pairing everyday dishes like poached chicken or spring rolls with wines such as Chardonnay or Crémant, saying the flavors complemented each other.

Nguyen Bao Anh films a wine-pairing video at a Hanoi eatery. Photo courtesy of Bao Anh

His videos pairing wine with dishes like boiled snails, fried banh chung (sticky rice cake) and banh xeo (sizzling pancakes) have drawn both praise and skepticism online. But support from friends and wine-industry professionals keeps him motivated to keep sharing.

"Once, I paired a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc with cha ca (fish cake). One viewer tried it out of curiosity, and loved it so much they now always drink Chenin Blanc with cha ca. You can't please everyone. If even a few people enjoy what I share, that's already worth it. It tells me I'm on the right track."

Any Vietnamese dish can be enjoyed with wine as long as there is harmony and not competition between food and drink, he explains.

"There's a Vietnamese saying: ‘Đồng thanh tương ứng, đồng khí tương cầu’ — roughly, things with similar qualities resonate together.

Ancient wisdom says "like attracts like," a principle he applies to wine pairing.

"A light dish should go with a light wine. Rich, intense food needs a full-bodied wine. Sour dishes pair with wines with good acidity, sweet dishes with sweeter styles."

It is a simple rule that guides his goal of bringing wine out of fancy dining rooms and into casual Vietnamese life, one thoughtful pairing at a time.

 

 

One man's quest to pair western-style wines with Vietnamese foods

Chàng trai Hà Nội tâm huyết kết hợp 'ăn Ta' với 'uống Tây'