Mookata × Light Red: Why Gamay Works

Key facts

Mookata’s dominant tastes

Fatty, sweet-salty, smoky

Style that fits

Light red, low tannin

Grape

Gamay

Region

Beaujolais, France

Serving temperature

14–16°C

Alternative

Dry rosé

What mookata tastes like: fatty, sweet-salty, smoky

Mookata leads with three things: fat from the pork and the lard rubbed on the dome, sweet-salty flavour from the marinade, and smoke from the charcoal.

The dipping sauce is the other variable. Suki and seafood dips carry chilli, garlic and lime, so the wine has to handle rich pork and a hot, sour sauce at the same time.

The same grill also carries seafood, with vegetables simmering in the broth around the rim, so the wine has to be flexible. Light reds and dry rosé work with both meat and seafood, because they are light enough not to swamp prawns or squid.

Why a light red rather than a heavy one

Heavy reds are high in tannin, and tannin that meets chilli turns bitter and coarse. A light, low-tannin red works better.

Tannin is the drying compound from grape skins and seeds. With an unspiced steak it helps cut fat, but mookata has a hot, sour dip in nearly every bite, so tannin becomes a liability.

Heavy reds usually carry high alcohol too, which turns up the heat another notch. A light red does the job with acidity instead: the acid cuts the fat without fighting the chilli.

Gamay and Beaujolais

Gamay is the grape; Beaujolais is the place, a region of France just south of Burgundy. Red Beaujolais is made from Gamay.

Gamay gives light-bodied wine with low tannin, fresh acidity and red-fruit aromas such as cherry and raspberry. That red fruit lines up with the sweet-salty marinade.

Beaujolais often uses whole-bunch fermentation in tanks filled with carbon dioxide, known as carbonic maceration, which makes the wine more fruit-forward and softer in tannin. Wines labelled simply Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages tend to be lighter and fresher, while wines from the ten cru villages, such as Morgon or Fleurie, usually have more body.

Serve it slightly cool, at 14–16°C

A light red should be served cooler than Thai room temperature, at around 14–16°C.

Room temperature in Thailand is often above 30°C. A warm red shows its alcohol and its fruit turns tired. Chilling keeps the acidity sharp and the alcohol in the background, which matters with chilli on the table.

The simple method is 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge before opening. The air next to a mookata grill is hot and the bottle warms quickly, so keep it away from the heat.

The alternative: dry rosé

Dry rosé works on the same principle as a light red: fresh acidity, red fruit and almost no tannin.

Rosé takes its colour from brief contact with red grape skins, so it carries red-fruit aromas with very little tannin. If the dip is very hot, a rosé served colder than a light red handles the chilli more comfortably.

Questions people ask