Pairing Wine with Chinese Dishes

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.

 

 

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.

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

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

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)