40th Birthday Party at Restaurant, Need Wine List Help

[Grape Stuff]

A friend of ours is celebrating her 40th birthday by inviting 17 of her closest friends to Wild Ginger, a Pan-Asian restaurant in downtown Seattle. She's pre-selected the menu as follows:

apps:
Vietnamese Salad (no idea what's actually in this)
3 Satays: Vegetable zucchini & asparagus, sugar cane shrimp, and a Thai chicken

entrées:
Seven flavored beef (this is flavorful, but not spicy)
Sea Bass
prawns & squid
veggie stir fry with noodles
Monk fish with green curry
Crispy duck

I'm being asked to assist with pre-ordering some wine. I have a copy of the wine list, and it's got good coverage from France, Australia, Calif, and the Northwest.

I would really like some general suggestions, but I was thinking maybe some of the following:

·Sauvignon Blanc - There are 3 NZ Marlborough on the list, Allan Scott, Goldwater & neudorf

·Zinfandel - There's a Sonoma Century vine 1999, a Kenwood Mazzon1 vineyard 2000

·Domaine Du Colombier, cuvee Gaby Crozs-Hermitage 1998

·Cecilia Beretta, Amarone, 1998 Valpolicella

·Pinot Noir - Argyle, Nuthouse Vineyard, 1999

·Also a number of the usual Merlots & Cabs

The crowd generally likes reds. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Grape Stuff]

oh ya, if I'm way off base with some of those suggestions, please let me know.

[Bucko]

Been to Wild Ginger several times. The food is always nice but not stellar, but I digress.

Our tasting group meets in a Bellevue Thai restaurant. Over the years I have seen the following wines work best with the food:

German Riesling -- Spatlese and Auslese
Loire Whites -- Chenin and SB
Alsatians -- Gewurztraminer and Riesling
Pinot Noir -- OR offerings do well

FWIW,

Bucko

[wondersofwine]

The Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir should be a very good wine but a bit expensive. Is budget a consideration? If so, maybe the restaurant could provide the regular Argyle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, which is also quite nice if a bit simpler. I like Bucko's suggestions for the whites.
I enjoy zinfandel but don't think it's the best match for Asian food.

[Grape Stuff]

The Nuthouse is $59 as listed on the wine list. That doesn't seem to be too bad, I think it goes for around $40? in wine shops. I've never tried Zins with Asian, food myself but I thought I read that the spicy nature of Zinfandel would cut through the spices of that type of food???

It seems that in general Reds are hard to match to Asian fare.

[Grape Stuff]

Thanks Bucko, there is a Francois Pinon, Vouvray, 1996 from Loire that's on the list. That is Chenin Blanc, right?

[Bucko]

It is indeed!