by Justine Connelly

Pizza has its Chianti and burgers have their beer, but what about Thai food? Chinese? Sushi? Mexican? Does opening the fridge, then throwing your hands up in surrender and reaching for the phone necessarily mean you’ll be relegated to an evening of drinking orange Tang with your kids, for lack of inspiring grown-up drinks that go with the plethora of exotic foods you can have delivered to your door these days?

Growing up, Friday nights meant the take-out and delivery rotation for my family: burgers, pizza, or sometimes Chinese food if Mom and Dad were feeling particularly wild. Things like sushi and chicken Biryani were not on the radar. Now, I can find sushi in my former high school cafeteria. My friend Nichole, who just opened a Parkdale cafe, sells samosas next to peameal bacon sandwiches. Times they are a changing indeed.

So what wines actually go with take-out food? Much of this is a matter of personal preference, of course, but WineOnline offers some hints.

Try with Thai:

Butler's Grant Riesling, Creekside Estate 2007
If you think you don’t like Rieslings and have only tried the super-sweet German variety, don’t write them off until you try one of Ontario’s very good selections, like this one from Creekside Estate. They are drier than their European counterparts. This particular wine pairs well with spicy Thai food. ($15.75/bottle)

Laura's Blend White, Creekside Estate 2006
If you're sure you don’t like Riesling, this blend (38% Sauvignon Blanc; 27% Chardonnay; 18% Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio; 7% Viognier; 5% Muscat) also pairs well with traditional Thai spices, and especially with curries. ($17.75/bottle)

Choose for Chinese:

Sauvignon Blanc, Estate Bottled VQA, Chateau Des Charmes 2006
This crisp and zippy white can cut through spice and even refresh after a bite of something fried (okay, so Chinese chicken balls aren’t exactly authentic, but they’re a guilty pleasure in all their crispy, sticky red sauce-soaked goodness.) ($15.95/bottle)

Intriguing with Indian:

Carmenere de Gras Reserva, Vina Montgras 2007
WineOnline says this selection from the Vina Montgras winery goes well with “home-style stews and dishes seasoned with cumin.” The spice is popular in Indian cuisine. Samosas often contain quite a bit of it.

Mix with Mexican:

Reserve Cabernet Franc VQA, Colio Estate Winery 2002
From Colio Estate Winery, with its “finely tuned aromas of blackcurrent, blueberry and mocha with cedar and pepper highlights,” (according to WineOnline), this wine likes the challenge of standing up to Mexican flavours. ($20.75/bottle)