When it comes to food and drink, pairing the right dish with the most suitable beverage creates the best possible meal combination and lifts the whole experience. The right pairing enhances the flavours of the dish, making it more pleasing to the palate. The wrong combination can cause flavours to battle one another, or create an unappealing taste altogether.
The Diversity of Chinese Cuisine
One of the reasons Chinese cuisine is so popular is the diversity it offers, incorporating unique tastes from a range of different regions. Typically speaking, there are seven flavours in Chinese cuisine: sweet, salty, nutty, acidic, spicy, bitter and pungent. Each region has its own blend of flavours and cooking methods. Here are some of the main regional differences:
Beijing Cuisine
Beijing cuisine is influenced by culinary traditions from across China, so it embodies a variety of cooking methods, such as roasting, frying, steaming, braising and stewing. It emphasises sesame oil, dark soy paste, sesame paste and scallions, and it is also known for its snacks and street food. A staple dish in Beijing cuisine is Hot and Sour Soup, which typically includes mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots and, occasionally, meat.
Cantonese Cuisine
Cantonese cuisine is celebrated for being diverse and subtle, preserving the natural flavours of the ingredients. It uses a variety of ingredients, including meats and seafood, dried and preserved ingredients, and a range of condiments including rice, sugar, wine, soy sauce, vinegar, corn starch and sesame oil. Char Siu Pork is a Cantonese specialty: pork marinated in a honey and plum sauce, then roasted to create a sweet, savoury and charred flavour.
Shanghai Cuisine
Shanghai cuisine uses a range of cooking methods, including baking, stewing, steaming, braising and deep-frying. It uses an abundance of seafood, as well as chicken, salted meats and preserved vegetables. It is renowned for its sweet and sour taste, created by combining sugar and soy sauce. One popular signature dish from the Shanghai region is Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, succulent ribs coated in a glossy, sweet and tangy sauce.
Zhejiang Cuisine
Otherwise known as Zhe cuisine, this is distinguished by four different styles, originating from Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhe cuisine emphasises fresh ingredients and reflects its serene landscapes. Hangzhou-style cuisine uses a rich variety of bamboo shoots, Shaoxing cuisine is renowned for poultry and freshwater fish, and Ningbo cuisine specialises in seafood and salty dishes. The cooking approach aims to bring out the rich flavours of the ingredients so they balance each other in delicious harmony. A signature dish of Zhejiang cuisine is Dongpo Pork, a pork belly stewed in soy sauce and wine.
Xinjiang Cuisine
Xinjiang cuisine is hearty and robust, with rich meats such as lamb and beef spiced with chilli and cumin. A specialty is Big Plate Chicken, or Da Pan Ji, a spicy chicken stew mixed with hot chilli peppers and potatoes, served on a big plate.
Sichuan Cuisine
This fiery cuisine uses a bold combination of chilli peppers and garlic, as well as Sichuan peppercorn. Its flavours are distinctive, owing partly to the use of meats such as rabbit and offal. It is also complex in its cooking approach, using pickling, salting and drying techniques; in Sichuan cuisine, diversity and boldness are celebrated. A signature dish is Ma Po Tofu, tofu in a spicy, numbing sauce often combined with minced meat.
Chinese Food and Wine Pairing
To understand more about Chinese food and wine pairing, it helps to look at dishes and wines already paired together because of the delicious way they complement one another. It's also worth understanding the different flavours wine has to offer, and the dominant ingredients in the dishes you plan to pair it with. The aim is to balance the weight and richness of the wine with the meal, while also considering the spice level.
Sweet and Sour Dishes
When you're eating a sweet dish, serve it with a wine that is sweeter than the meal itself. Sweet and sour dishes work well with an off-dry Riesling, or even a sparkling Moscato d'Asti, which is sweet, refreshing and high in acidity. If you prefer a drier wine, choose a fruity rosé, a Pinot Gris or an aromatic dry white such as an Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Avoid crisp dry whites, as they clash with the vinegar in the sweet and sour sauce.
Duck Dishes
If you prefer white wine, choose an off-dry Riesling or something with a bit of body, like Reyneke Chenin Blanc. To match the plum sauce, a New World Pinot Noir or fruity Merlot is a perfect complement for duck. More delicate Pinot Noirs like Burgundy also work beautifully, though they may get overpowered by the sauce.
Lighter Chinese Dishes
For lighter dishes such as scallops, dim sum, vegetable dishes and other meals without a heavy sauce, pair with a dry sparkling wine, champagne or prosecco. If you aren't a fan of bubbles, consider a Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé or a Chablis.
Stronger Chinese Dishes
Heavier red wines are recommended for balancing stronger sauces such as black bean sauce and barbecue spare ribs. Avoid reds with a lot of tannin; instead choose a fruitier red such as a Merlot, or a Syrah or Syrah blend from the New World, like a Chilean Syrah blend. For dishes with a strong nutty flavour, you need a strongly flavoured wine like a Sémillon. Meanwhile, dishes heavy on ginger pair perfectly with an off-dry Riesling or an aromatic dry white such as an Austrian Grüner Veltliner, a Pinot Gris or a Chenin Blanc.
Spicy Chinese Dishes
Spicy foods tend to dull the taste buds and raise your body temperature, so slightly sweet wines with good acidity are the perfect pairing. The sweetness of the wine is tempered by the spicy food, the acidity tones down the heat so the dish feels less fiery, and the weight of the wine balances the rich, spicy flavour. An off-dry Riesling or sparkling Moscato d'Asti is perfect for a spicy dish.
Chinese Food Tea Pairing
According to Great British Chefs, "When we are pairing tea there's a procedure we all follow". They go on to say there are four categories of tea: mild, savoury, sweet and spicy. Green tea is ideal with a very mild or savoury dish, but generally too subtle to pair with the intense flavours of a sweet or spicy dish. Jasmine tea is a popular green tea, and it pairs perfectly with tender dumplings; another popular green tea is Dragon Well. Oolong teas come in a range of flavours, from light and floral to dark and roasted. The medium-roasted Wuyi Yan Cha pairs beautifully with rich, flavourful baked spring rolls. Puerh tea is a dark, earthy brew that is perfect for dispelling grease after a big meal, and thanks to its rich flavour, it's the perfect pairing for spicy food such as spicy pork noodles.
Practical Tips for Pairing Wine and Tea with Chinese Cuisine
The first thing to do is think about the dish. Is it spicy? Does it have a strong or a light flavour? Are there any prominent ingredients the drink needs to work with? Is it particularly salty or sweet? The flavour of the meal determines which wine or tea pairs best with it. Everything we've discussed in this blog is a general rule to follow, but ultimately it may just come down to personal preference. To help you and your friends appreciate the flavours in your favourite dishes, you could host a wine and tea pairing party. Gather your favourite dishes and a variety of red, white and sparkling wines, plus a range of popular Chinese teas, and test the combinations for yourself.
There are some simple rules to follow when pairing food and drink. Pair lighter food with lighter beverages and heavier food with richer beverages. Match flavours: a lemon-based meal pairs well with a citrus drink. Consider the acidity: if the meal is acidic in flavour, choose a drier beverage, while an acidic beverage is an excellent pairing for a fatty, buttery or oily meal. And make sure the beverage is as sweet as the meal. If the meal is sweeter than the drink, the drink will taste dry and over-acidic; likewise, remember that a sweet beverage is excellent for balancing a salty dish.
Want to try a few pairings for yourself? Browse our drinks menu alongside the food menu and ask the team for a recommendation.
