Chinese style stir-fried noodles. Credit: NurPhoto via Getty ImagesWine with Chinese food: Five styles to consider Aromatic whites: Riesling (dry, off-dry), Gewürztraminer and Asti Spumante Chardonnay-based sparkling wines: Champagne and English sparkling wines Fruit-forward reds: New World Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Barbera Off-dry, easy-quaffer white blends and rosé Pairing ideas for a full-on feast
If you are after a full-on, authentic Chinese feast experience, forget about the one-wine-to-each-dish pairing routine, as dishes of diverse ingredients and clashing flavours are bound to be served together.
What you need is an all-rounder that works with the whole feast. Refreshing sparkling wines are the obvious choice. The abundance choice of Champagne, English fizz, Cava and well-chilled Prosecco works perfectly as palate-cleansers. If the dishes are red meat-heavy or with a strong seasoning, a sparkling red such as Lambrusco will do the trick.
Aromatic whites with a touch of residual sugar (such as Kabinett Riesling and Gewürztraminer) tend to work in synergy with steamed fish and dishes with strong scents of herbal spices. For the young drinkers in China, the white blossom fragrance and friendly sweetness of Asti, nicknamed the ‘little sweet drink’, is always a welcomed easy-quaffer at Hot Pot parties.
Fruit-forward, ripe and supple red wines such as a New World Pinot Noir or Southern Italian reds such as Nerello Mascalese also have a place on the table, especially when your dishes are heavy on red-braised seasoning (which usually involves soy sauce and sugar). Barbera with its soft-boned tannins and
