Chinese food and wine: a difficult pairing even for sommeliers

Pairing the intense flavors of Chinese cuisine with wine proves truly difficult even for the most experienced sommeliers – the only beverages truly capable of enhancing its flavors are German wines and beer.

Food and wine pairing is an essential detail; flavors often tend to enhance the taste of the wine, which is why, when faced with particularly spiced cuisines, finding the perfect wine to complement their qualities becomes nearly impossible – even for professional sommeliers. According to Alse Yarrow, author of "The Essence of Wine," managing to identify and pair a wine with the intense flavors of Chinese cuisine would be truly difficult, though there is some hope. Alse Yarrow was able to experiment with pairings across different wines thanks to his Chinese wife and numerous trips to China, where his mother-in-law's cooking of traditional Chinese dishes allowed for a thorough analysis. The distinctiveness of the flavors – so bold – and above all the spiciness of ingredients such as chili paste or ginger make wine pairing genuinely complicated. According to Yarrow, the intense flavors of Chinese cuisine pair well with Riesling and off-dry Gewurztraminer. We would also suggest Fiano Minutolo or a well-aged Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Yarrow also notes that several beverages could work well: beer in particular could be a top choice alongside wines. Saison, a beer with a particularly dry aromatic profile, notes of lemon and pepper, could be the right match for spicy and garlicky dishes such as garlic steamed dumplings. Malbec, an Argentine red wine with a particularly intense flavor, could, according to Yarrow, be paired with richly savory dishes such as pork or barbecued spare ribs; Sparkling wine is recommended with sesame fritters, while fortune cookies can be enjoyed sipping a glass of Moscato d'Asti.