Rib-eye and Cabernet? Boring. Pan-fried halibut and Sauvignon Blanc? Yawn. Get a little bolder and more creative with picking a wine for your everyday meals and think out of the box — what about a crisp Riesling with your char siu rice or a great value, fruity Rhone for the Chinese family dinner? We’ve had quite enough of Chinese restaurants pairing Bordeaux with just about everything, thank you very much (in fact, pork-heavy Chinese dishes turn most Bordeaux into wash water). Here are some wines you can pick up today to go with your lunch or dinner, recommended by expert wine and food pairing guru Marcus Chan.
Char Siu Rice + Rhine Reisling
Ahh…char siu rice. The everyday staple of the Hong Kong diet. The sweet, bland flavors of honey barbecued pork stands out spectacularly with the lemony-lime crispness of Riesling from Rhine. “Most locals won’t spend a lot on a turkey for Christmas, but a HK$100 wine and a char siu rice box can elevate a typical lunch or dinner into a luxury meal. Wine pairing doesn’t have to be elegant or high-end. Two people can enjoy a Riesling with char siu for a very warm, nice feeling,” says Marcus. Skip the soy sauce on the char siu if you opt for this pairing, or risk ruining the wine.
Chinese Roasted Pork + Moscato
Crunchy and salty roasted pork with sweet and perfumed Moscato is a match made in heaven—the saltiness and sweetness offers a sharp, pleasing contrast, while the lightness of Moscato renders the meat smoother and silkier. This also works with roasted pig trotters. All salty meat will be a good match for Moscato (still and sparkling), or the inexpensive and tasty Asti Prosecco, as well as sweeter sparkling roses. Just make sure that the meat is fatty, for fat is wine’s best friend.
Pork Dumplings + Cotes du Rhone
It beats us why Bordeaux is the wine of choice at Chinese restaurants. The flavor of pork brings out all the worst characteristics of Bordeaux, turning it bitter, flat, and metallic. We recommend Cotes du Rhone instead, a wallet-friendly wine, which, with its rich and fruity notes and mineral and soil flavors make a much better match for the flavors of garlic, black bean, and ginger in Cantonese cooking. You can get a pretty good mid-range Cotes du Rhone for HK$150, which can be paired with a wide range of Chinese dishes like pork dumplings, garlic-fried vegetables, or sweet and sour pork. Try and avoid leeks though, we have yet to find a wine that complements its pungency.
Hairy Crab + Japanese Plum Wine
Although hairy crab is traditionally paired with warm Shaoxing wine, Marcus recommends a sake-based plum wine instead, served cold. “It’s refreshing, and the rice flavor of the sake refines the flavors of the crab.” If you find it too sweet, Marcus suggests adding ice or even cold soda water to it, turning it into a fizzy beverage that will go perfectly with the crisp flavors of hairy crab oozing with creamy orange roe. Yums!
Lap Cheong Rice + Châteauneuf-du-Pape
We love this one. Du Pape, a wine renowned for its meaty, gamey flavors, complements well with the savory sweet and salty Chinese pork sausage. Together, they create an explosion of flavors that is rich, chewy, and almost over-the-top. Not for those prone to indigestion. We recommend trying the Yuen Long-made, artisanal Chinese sausages from Homeplace Kitchen.
Dreyers Cookies’n’Cream Drizzled with Truffle Honey + Whiskey
A quick dessert anyone can prepare at home that’s as delicious as any high-end dessert in an expensive restaurant. The trick is to drizzle the truffle honey in a thin, protective layer atop the ice-cream so that it accentuates the flavor of the ice-cream, since truffles have the power to exaggerate the flavors of food. The cold, creamy, and sweet concoction dissolves the alcohol burn of whiskey into pure and clean flavors. If you never liked whiskey, this pairing will make you think twice.
