Pairing Wine with Chinese Dishes

With all of the sweet and spicy complexity of Chinese food, it’s hard to know what wine is best for pairing. The expert weighs in for these 4 common dishes.

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Which wines go best with these Chinese dishes?

Photo: Randy Mayor

Whether you prefer to order from your favorite take-out joint or whip out the wok, Chinese food offers the perfect opportunity to reach for bargain bottles with big fruit and hints of sweetness. The richly-layered spicy, sweet, and salty dishes can easily flatten more delicate and nuanced wines.

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Shrimp Fried Rice

Photo: Randy Mayor

If you've ever had fried rice with coconut, mango, or ginger, you know how these exotic flavors enliven this staple dish. An American gewürztraminer adds complementary fruity flavors and sweetness. Plus, this aromatic white stands up to scrambled eggs (often found in fried rice), which challenge many wines.

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Szechuan Chicken

Photo: Randy Mayor

Off-dry rieslings are perfect matches for Szechuan peppercorns, which combine aromatic spice and earthy undertones. The wines' fruity sweetness is balanced with acidity.

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Vegetable Lo Mein

Photo: Randy Mayor

Choose a wine with acidity or effervescence to cut through the noodles' oily coating. Sauvignon blancs and sparkling wines are great choices.

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Moo Shu Pork

Photo: Randy Mayor

Strong flavors of cabbage, mushrooms, and hoisin sauce can conflict with dry reds; the potent fruit punch of a slightly chilled, low-tannin Beaujolais muscles into the mix well.

Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2009 (France, $9) Juicy, grapey, berry, and cherry (pictured)

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Pairing Wine with Chinese Dishes

1 of 6

Which wines go best with these Chinese dishes?