Wondering which wines work well with spice and heat? Wine experts from some of the best Asian restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne advise Feeling like “Chinese for dinner” is as Australian as enjoying a good pizza or devouring a kebab. But what are ideal drinks to sip on when tackling some of the more complex flavours of this wonderfully diverse cuisine? We ask sommeliers and restaurateurs from leading Chinese restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne how they approach food and wine matching in their establishments. The Flower Drum, known for its elegant Cantonese dishes and sharp waiters, takes its wine service as seriously as it does the consistency of its famous Peking duck. While co-owner Jason Lui says there aren’t too many rules in the world of food and wine matching, he does encourage his staff to suggest wines that will complement the meal. “Being a Cantonese restaurant the food is generally more delicate and produce-driven,” he says. “I like to match buttery and rich chardonnays such as the Giaconda Estate from Beechworth with our baked crab shell.”

And of course, there’s duck with pinot noir. “Our Peking duck with any pinot noir is great – but one particular favourite at the moment is the William Downie Mornington Peninsula pinot.” Still, customers will sometimes stretch the friendship with extreme requests. “Over the years I’ve seen customers match the most delicate of seafoods with reds such as malbecs, and recently some Chinese customers put dried sour plums in their Grange. At the end of it all, as long as the customer is happy having the wines with their food however they like it, then I am just as happy.” Franck Moreau, head sommelier of the Merivale Group in Sydney, is working with many and varied restaurants. At Mr Wong he matches wines with strong, aromatic and subtle flavours, sometimes all at once. “Riesling, pinot noir and grenache are a few grapes that work very well with Asian-inspired dishes,” he says. His favourite matches from the restaurant include yellowfin tuna, kohlrabi, sweet wasabi, soy and ginger dressing with KT ‘Peglidis’ riesling from the Clare Valley in South Australia;

Chinese roasted duck with Principia pinot noir from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and steamed fish fillet with ginger and shallots matched with Yeringberg viognier from the Yarra Valley, Victoria. Still, he also gets some left-of-centre requests that are more than OK with him. “I have had so many interesting requests but the most important thing is to make our customers happy. One of the strangest requests was to add crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) into a very expensive bottle of cabernet to match with fish.” The customer was happy, which means so was Moreau. David Zhou has owned David’s in Melbourne’s South Yarra for the last 16 years. With a menu inspired by his native Shanghai, there are dumplings, pork dishes and seafood often made punchy with vinegars and chilli. Zhou’s base rule starts with bubbles and dumplings. “The lightness of a sparkling wine is well-suited to our dumplings,” he says. “Some of our dishes have sweet tastes, so light fruity reds such as pinot noir, refreshing rosés or fruit-filled whites like pinot gris make a great match with sticky pork belly and chat potato and our chicken ribs with chilli.”

Zhou says it’s up to the customer if they wish to complement or contrast their wines with the dishes they order. “We choose wines to suit our dishes when we write the wine list, but ultimately it’s up to the customer.” Zhou recently held a wine dinner with leading winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner and his son Nathan from Giaconda winery in Beechworth. It was an easy marriage where crunchy garlic prawns were matched with the 2011 Giaconda chardonnay and pork with a seaweed biscuit sat well with the winemakers’ 2010 pinot noir.best wine tasting los angeles “Rick’s innovative but authentic approach is what I believe and have been working on for 16 years and quite simply, his wines are great with our food.”top wine brands canada Gary Armstrong, assistant head sommelier who assists in creating the many wine lists of the Rockpool Group, says there are a couple of rules of thumb when matching wine with key Asian flavours. best wine tours in europe

“Firstly, spice is better with more textured white wines, so slightly sweet wines with a richer mouth feel handle spice heat very well.” Paramount is the need for balance with wine and food matching. “Light, delicate flavours need a light, delicate wine or you lose the subtleties of the dish,” he says. In handling complexities of red wine and spice, Armstrong is clear: “Red wine can also handle spice heat very well but tannin and spice clash, so what works is plush, velvety fruit.” best wine in a bag ukThis includes softer reds like grenache and pinot noir.best dry white wine 2014 The second flavour to manage is soy. red cat wine where to buy“The savoury and umami elements that underlie much if not most Asian dishes need a wine with a slightly oxidative element that brings harmony to a pairing,” he says.

Two matches he recommends are prawn toast with Spice Temple sweet and sour sauce with a glass of 2014 Adelina ‘Off Dry’ riesling from the Clare Valley; and lobster siu mai dumplings with a 2013 CRFT ‘K1 Vineyard’ gewürztraminer from the Adelaide Hills.This week’s #SundaySupper theme Asian Cuisine.  I love Asian cuisine! But it wasn’t always that way. I grew up on the Midwest, and we didn’t eat very much Asian food, other than Chinese food occasionally. Then we moved to California – the perfect place for me to taste the diverse world of Asian cuisines.   And that’s just what the #SundaySupper foodies have on the menu this week. You’re going to find diverse and delectable recipes with roots in China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and more! Let’s face it, for most wine is not top of mind when it comes to pairing with Asian Cuisine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to an Asian restaurant and seen a diverse selections of beer, or perhaps Sake, and usually, less than a handful of wines.  

There’s typically a Chardonnay (America’s favorite wine), a Cabernet Sauvignon, and perhaps another wine or two. I think it’s because, in broad terms, wine isn’t as much ingrained in Asian cultures. Especially when compared to European or even American culture.  Beer or other adult beverages typically find more favor within Asian cultures.  Beer, sake and other adult beverage can be good choices.   But wine can also be a great partner for Asian Cuisine. Experiment and have a sense of adventure.  The tips presented in this article are suggestions that will increase your odds of finding wines to pair with Asian Cuisine.  But they may or may not be to your liking.  It’s a good idea to keep a track your successes (and failures!) and rely on that to build your knowledge of which pairings work best. Here are my recommendations for this week’s fabulous Asian Cuisine menu: Pair these Small Bites with a Rosé sparkling wine.  My “house’ (everyday) sparkling wine is the Deligeroy Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut ($13).

It’s a beautiful pale salmon color and packed with strawberry, cherry, peach and blood orange flavors, with a bit of sweetness that is complemented with a hint of herbaceousness. Rosé sparkling wine may be the ultimate wine for starters and small plates.  Sparkling wine sets a celebratory tone and its color makes a visual impression. I actually don’t recommend pairing wine with these soups.  Besides the soups being chock full of flavor, combining hot broth and a cool wine is a tough combination.  I think the wine would be best served either before or after the soup. Pair these dishes with Riesling, the white version of a “goes with virtually anything” wine.   Look for 2014 Charles Smith “Kung Fu Girl” Columbia Valley Riesling ($10). It’s off-dry so it’ll handle some spice, and it fruit forward, and fresh with lychee, nectarine, peach and a bit of citrus character. Pair these dishes with Pinot Blanc from the Alsace region of France, its spiritual home.

Pinot Blanc, a mutation of Pinot Gris is a member of the Pinot family.  It’s often suggested as an alternative to Chardonnay.  It tends to be a medium to full-bodied wine with good acidity.  I’ve found it’s a very good partner at the table with various Asian foods.  Look for the 2012 Charles Baur Pinot Blanc ($13). It has a soft, creamy, and lush character with white peach, and sweet citrus aromas and flavors wrapped in spice. Pair these dishes with a juicy, low tannin red wine. I recently attended a fabulous Beaujolais and Japanese pairing dinner that was a great reminder of how food friendly Beaujolais wines (made from the Gamay grape) are.  Look for the 2011 Chateau de Jacques Moulin-a-Vent ($14). It has a bold fruit black cherry, plum compote and cassis character with a savory undertone. I’ve been on a bit of a Bahn Mi kick the last few months.  And my top of mind, go to choice is Rose!  Look for the 2014 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare (around $14).  It’s a perennial favorite with an enchanting melon, peach, strawberry and spiced citrus character and lingering saline laced finish.

Pair these dishes with a Gruner Vetliner, the signature grape of Austria. It’s an under the radar grape that’s pairs with a wide variety of good  Look for Domaine Wachau Gruner Vetliner (around $16).  It offers enticing aromas of tropical fruit, a bit of yellow apple, white pepper with a delicate herbal note. It’s medium bodied and harmonious with crisp acidity, juicy fruits and a spicy finish. Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on today –  Sunday, August 23rd! This week’s chat will be hosted by Amy from kimchi MOM. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more greatSunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement. Spread the love!, Share this post