The first time I entered a Thai restaurant was in 1969 in New York. I was taking out a young friend from Africa who was dreaming of becoming a famous painter. We walked hand in hand from East 13th street to Chinatown. Almost in front of the Correction Department, on Bayard street, we came across this small place. It just said "Thai." What we knew of Thailand was very little. It was in Asia, had a very beautiful queen and was marginally involved in the war in Vietnam. As for its food, we had no idea what it would taste like.

I cannot remember what we ate, but we loved it. Because I wanted to impress the young and pretty painter I asked for the wine list. The owner told us that wine would not go well with Thai food. "Better have a beer," he said, and then came the first Singha of my life. It was a typical New York evening.

A few days ago I read a piece by Eric Asimov, a food and wine critic for the New York Times. In his article he advises Indian, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants not to neglect their wine list - very good counsel indeed. And as if to prove him right, Asia is becoming a serious producer of wine. In recent months I have tasted excellent wines from Japan, China, India and of course from our own Thailand.

Asimov makes another remark that explains why a few years ago not only Asian restaurants in New York but also in Thailand had practically no wine list. Wine was not part of the culture of most restaurant owners. But things have changed considerably in the past 20 years. Wine is now with us, and here to stay.

So then what goes best with these various food?

While a cool beer certainly goes well with plenty of Indian or Thai food and is still favoured in many Indian restaurants (I bet you the climate has something to do with it too), the best Indian restaurants in Bangkok (such as at the Rembrandt) do offer an intelligent wine list.

One Indian restaurateur in NYC told Eric Asimov to avoid "Oak and high alcohol", because hot food already tends to bring out the tannin and the oak is underlined by the spices. Choose instead a light red, a good Beaujolais for instance, a young Cote du Rhone, or some Vin de Pays. I write "good Beaujolais" because so many are of little interest. As for the Beaujolais Nouveau, its life span is only a few months at best.

Fresh and crisp whites go well with almost any spicy food. One of the most famous pairings is gewurtztraminer. That very special wine, especially the ones from Alsace or Germany, are indeed delicious with most Chinese food.

Riesling, with its lightly metallic flavour is another very good choice. Again look for Alsace, German or Austrian riesling, with just a hint of sweetness. Asimov mentions a riesling spatlese from the Nahe; I would also add many Austrian Grune Vetliner or even some of the new English versions of Muller Thurgau; but just try to find that in Thailand. They are hard enough to get in London.

And our own wine? Unless it is a very specific dish I would go for whites. Good ones from Siam Winery, GranMonte, PB and the very pleasant rose from Kao Yai winery will all do very well. Most are reasonably priced and I have surprised more than a few foreign guests by serving them incognito with Thai food. But I would rather drink a Chateau des Brumes with French or Italian food. After all, there is a touch of French grapes in these bottles.

Sparkling wines are also quite agreeable with mildly spicy cuisine; no need for great champagnes, a nice Spanish cava will do very nicely.

One last remark, or piece of advice, if you like. Don't be afraid to experiment. Creating marriages of wine and food is after all a legitimate pleasure of life.