MÁLÀ - Where Heat Meets Bubbles!
The Flying Winemaker introduces a revolutionary sparkling wine for Hot Pot and Sichuan Cuisine, and this innovative creation is already causing quite a buzz at the hot pot table!
The team at The Flying Winemaker (TFW) are noting a new culinary trend. Hot pot is taking on the world! In addition to breaking down social barriers (in a similar way to the sharing of a bottle of wine), the humble hot pot (or not-so-humble, depending on where you are eating it!) is now breaking through cultural and geographical boundaries, too.
This trend is especially true of the spicy hot pots associated with China’s Sichuan Province, distinctive for their inclusion of the unique peppercorn known as hua jiao (flower pepper). The tastes of this spice are defined by what in Chinese is called “mala”. The first character, Ma (麻), refers to a numbing sensation, a little dance on the tongue; while La (辣) means fiery spice. Chinese is surely the most sophisticated language in the world for food discourse!
Eddie McDougall, founder of TFW, was inspired to create a beverage that could harmonise with, but also enhance, the complex flavours of spicy Asian cuisine such as hot pot. “I have been travelling throughout China, witnessing the incredible enthusiasm for hot pot,” says McDougall. “While non-alcoholic drinks like plum juice are popular pairings, and bottled beer is a traditional pairing, I realised there was a void. No beverage has been specifically designed to interact with the hot pot experience, and the wider range of Sichuan dishes.
Why not, he thought, introduce yet another flavour adventure and taste sensation to the hot pot table? Why not complement the dance of spice on the tongue with a cascade of refreshing bubbles? A tantalising tango of fire and ice! The result, just entering the market now, is a to-boldly-go (white) sparkling wine named MÁLÀ. The packaging itself playfully echoes the look and feel of the classic beer bottle: a striking, ‘lucky red’ oval-shaped label, and a minimalist crown cap.
Mark Law, TFW’s in-house sommelier, comments that while effervescence always acts as a palate cleanser, the crispness and refreshing bubbles of MÁLÀ are also a great counterpoint to the inherent richness and often intense spiciness of hot pot.
“Consider the diverse array of ingredients typically found in a hot pot,” he says, “from succulent meats and seafood to earthy mushrooms and fresh vegetables. MÁLÀ, with its balanced acidity and subtle fruit notes, complements this diversity without overpowering any one of the flavours. It offers a unifying freshness that ties the whole culinary experience together.”
In a culinary landscape continuously criss-crossing cultures, and in which umami is the new buzz word, MÁLÀ fits right in.
WORDS BY: ANNABEL JACKSON
