The flavors in Chinese food are definitely complex, nuanced, and varied. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be harmonious with wine 葡萄酒 (pú táo jiǔ). Too often experts have demoted Chinese food wine pairing to “save your good bottles for another meal”. Sometimes they steer us toward a different spirit altogether, like Japanese sake or 白酒 (bái jiǔ) Chinese sorghum liquor.
As someone who eats Chinese food most days, I’d be missing out on a lot of great wine if I followed that advice! So I’m here to show that pairing Chinese food with a nice bottle of wine is completely doable. I’m not a sommelier, nor do I have any formal wine education. However, I am a lover of both authentic Chinese food and a nice bottle of wine, so these are my takes on what I’d drink with my recipes.
All wine picks include characteristics of the wine and the region, why I think it pairs well, and suggested serving temperature. Check out on my thoughts on the updated posts below:
- Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans 干煸四季豆
- Savory Chickpea Flour Pancakes 鹰嘴豆粉摊饼
- Red Braised Pork 红烧肉
- Sichuan Spicy Boiled Fish 水煮鱼
- All posts with wine pairings
Additionally, if you want to up your wine enjoyment with some great wine glasses or the best corkscrew, I’ve linked a few of my favorites below. This article from the WSJ about what makes a great wine glass is an oldie but goodie.
I hope these pairings encourage you to open a bottle of your favorite wine with your next Chinese food meal!
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below on what you’ve been drinking lately. And as always, tag #thericelover on Instagram if you try out any of my recipes! 干杯 (gān bēi) — Cheers!
