Pairing Chinese Food with Wines

A side effect of globalization in the last few decades is the rapid fusion of the world's culinary cultures. A prime example is the marriage of Chinese cooking and French-style wines - it is now commonplace to see haute Chinese cuisine enjoyed with the best vintages in Asia and beyond.

While much knowledge and many rules can be relied on when matching western cuisines to wines, the pairing of wines to Chinese food is still a relative mystery if only for the infancy of the premise. There are also real political and technical obstacles to the task.

Here we attempt to construct a knowledge base that sheds light on the subject while debunking some of the myths that have accumulated. We put together a group that included two experienced sommeliers and a master chef who, while a practitioner in French cooking, has spent years managing Chinese kitchens. We were given unfettered access to one of the most celebrated Cantonese kitchens in North America, along with all of the products, condiments and, most importantly, cooking techniques and secrets contained therein.

In terms of protocol, we started with the structural template of the traditional Cantonese banquet, which in all its variations offered a sequenced collection of courses featuring almost all of the major cooking methods, styles and flavours. We deconstructed the complex ingredients and cooking techniques to find a style of wine that would complement and express each dish best in terms of flavour, balance, colour aesthetics, and mouth-feel. With findings based on individual dishes, we picked wines versatile enough to be used throughout dinner. Our exercise and results also generated knowledge and understanding to allow near-optimal wine choices for less formal dinners with common Chinese dishes.