Do you know Gruner Veltliner? The loved white wine of Austria. It is perfect for Vietnamese. This delicate, complex, yet deeply flavorful cuisine, demands a careful wine pairing. Something not so rich that it overwhelms the food or so light that it gets lost behind.
At Binh Dong an excellently authentic Vietmamese restaurant in Belleville, NJ we had such a perfect paring, with a Gruner that I had been saving for a few years for a special occasion.
The Wine: Laurenz V. Charming Gruner Veltliner the 2005 $$
The Food: Traditional Vietnamese
The Place: Binh Duong Belleville, NJ but could have been Ho Chi Minh City.
In a funky little strip center, where you will also find East West Asian Market and Myra's Philippine Bakery, is Binh Duong, not much to look at, yet the food is amazing. When you step in and see that most of the patrons are Asian with some local artists and hipster types you know you are in the right place.
The wine, Laurenz V. Charming Gruner Veltliner, has always been a favorite, I had a 2005 that I purchased a few years ago, this wine ages quite nicely. I decided to bring it to a lunch with Diana and two of our great wino friends Gwen and Jonathan.
Gruner has a beautiful medley of flavors that are both rich and delicate. You’ll find that the flavors of ripe apples, honeysuckle, nuts and crisp acidity pair well with dishes like this Chanh Chua Tom, shrimp soup, and tasty Cha Gio Spring Rolls.
“The grapes for this very charming wine are grown in the Kamptal region of Austria. Here, the Grüner Veltliner ripens in granite, gneiss, mica slate as well as loess soils. The northerly cool air streams from the rugged Waldviertel region and results in a significant day and night temperature difference. This in turn slows the ripening process of the grapes, and it is the diurnal effect of warm days and cool nights that makes wines from this region taste so fresh and fruity. The most beautiful kind of ‘Cool Climate Viticulture’.” Winemaker
It stood up to richer dishes like the wonderful Ban Xeo Chay, Crispy Crepe, and the Ga Nuong Sa, Lemon Grass Chicken, as well as spicy pork dish we enjoyed.
We’ve dined at Binh Duong many times and the food and service is always excellent and the prices very reasonable. The place is small just 12 tables so at busy times you may have a wait. It is worth it.
61 1/2 Belleville Ave, Bloomfield, New Jersey (973) 680-8440
Mariahilfer Straße 32
1070 Wien, Austria
Things to do, places to see, with food and booze
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