Team up like a pro: this Christmas wine and Chinese food make a family happy Leave a comment

From Peking duck to Mapo tofu, there is a wine to go with your favorite Chinese dish.

A tradition started in New York Over 100 years ago by Jews on the Lower East Side, eating Chinese food on Christmas Day remains a popular convention, so much so that this handwritten sign, displayed in the window of a Chinese restaurant, is itself – even become an annual viral event. No one really knows if this is for real, a gag, or a meme, but it speaks of the continuation of the beloved ritual.

In a recent article on the Jewish Forward, author Joshua Eli Plaut, who is also the rabbi of the Metropolitan Synagogue in New York City, suggests it’s all fun. “We haven’t found any evidence whether it’s authentic or not. It’s urban folklore. But it doesn’t matter because the post is funny and it’s just going to show you that it’s about. ‘a real phenomenon,’ he told the Forward reporter.

Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish to participate, but you do need to know what to drink with your Sichuan or Cantonese (or one of the other six styles). Unlike other agreements, with Chinese cuisine, wines are not paired with protein but with the sauces that accompany it. In general (and the rules can be broken here), for five-spice or chilli-based dishes, choose bold reds, especially those from the New World (Malbec, Shiraz, Cabernet). Still whites and sparkling wines are good partners for more delicate treats like soup dumplings or shumai shrimp. Dishes with a certain bittersweet dynamic go well with lighter, fruity and slightly tannic reds like Gamay (Beaujolais) or Lambrusco.

The China Wine Competition helpfully lists a few common pairings, but I appealed to the crowd for some recommendations from the pros. Here are some proven pairings with a variety of flavors and textures.

Starters and light dishes. The diversity of tastes in a Dim Sum Cart requires an all-purpose wine that will complement the range of flavors, from delicate protein to flavored soy protein. For that, Jim Clarke, marketing director of Wines of South Africa, turns to the bubbles. “The flexibility of sparkling wine is great in this situation,” he said. “Usually we make steamed dumplings like har gow (shrimp). The mouthfeel that aging on lees brings matches the meatballs for weight and presence, but the acidity keeps things fresh. Same with rice rolls, another favorite, he says. “Bubbly works pretty well with all of them. I like the contrast in texture with the “soup” of the dumplings and of course the acidity is excellent with the fried dumplings.

Clarke isn’t the only one who chose the fizz with the first courses. Smadar Berlingeri, portfolio manager at Monsieur Touton Selections, a New York importer / distributor, says “of course” to a pairing of soup dumplings with Piper Sonoma, a Californian sparkler in the raw style.

Expatriate sommelier Richard Fink who, along with his wife chef, runs Casa Papaya, a restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, would pair a Burgundian-style pinot noir with a “Chop your Head Off” soup, which he describes as a soup complex “made with ground pork and noodles in chicken broth, along with sesame oil, soy, ginger and garlic … I don’t know what else, but this ‘is dense in flavor. ” His choice of pinot: a Volnay Champans from Marquis d’Angerville or Winderlea Winery in Oregon. Although now in Mexico, he says, “that just won’t happen.

Peking duck. Anne Malhere, a wine merchant in Greenwich, Connecticut, prefers wines that are low in tannins and acidity – “a very ripe Syrah, an Australian Shiraz or even a California Zinfandel” with this iconic dish. On Curious Cuisine, Merlot is the choice. With this festive poultry, Berlingeri adopts the tradition with the full-bodied Piper Sonoma Brut Rose with red fruits.

Proven favorites

Berlingeri stays with Sparkling Raw Piper for main courses, from fried rice with chicken with broccoli or shrimp with snow peas. The acidity, she says, “cleanses the palate and prepares it for the next course, while the tangy bubbles invite sip after sip.”

With Moo Shu pork, Kimberly Noelle Charles, president of Charles Communications in San Francisco, selects Nerello Mascalese, a Sicilian red. “[It’s] is like a child in love with Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Its medium tannins and expressive red fruitiness stand up to the richness of the pork and complements the smoky, umami-rich hoisin sauce that forms the backdrop of pork and cabbage.

Eugene Engel, Commercial Director of Champagne Carbon recommends his company’s bubbles with General Tso’s chicken or Peking duck, and Odila Galer-Noel, president of PRonCall, an oenological agency, wants “a kind of yeast bubbles with shrimp crispy salt and pepper. “

Spicy dishes

“White Alsace! Did someone say nice? says Boston sommelier Nick Dadonna, referring to the Alsatian white blend made from Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Muscat and Sylvaner. “Gentil is dry to almost dry, with a lot of texture, and I like it best with spicy dishes like Kung Pao, sweet and sour soup, and beef with a spicy garlic sauce. Alsace is also the choice of Pittsburgh radio host, wine writer and recovering restaurateur Dave DeSimone whose Christmas dinner plans include spicy Szechuan shrimp and Gewurztraminer. “Due to the sunny, dry climate of the region, Alsace gewurztraminers generally have good concentration and a kiss of residual sweetness that plays well against the fiery spiciness of the prawns.

Orange wine guru Doreen Winkler selects Keltis Zan, a blend of seven grapes from Slovenia to pair with Mapo tofu, a traditional Sichuan dish made with grilled chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. “It has a good acidic with a nice minerality to refresh the spice,” she said. “At the same time, the ground pork pairs well with the wine’s medium texture and flavorful notes.”

Mapo tofu is also the choice of Stephanie Teuwen, a wine-focused PR professional who tastes all the way to spicy Sichuan. “Mapo tofu is the one dish I never get tired of – I even cook it at home,” she says. “The heat of the pepper is slightly tamed by the umami flavors of the sauce, and to add an extra layer of indulgence, I uncork a dry Alsatian Riesling. The aromatic profile and acidic backbone of the wine complement the complex flavors of this dish and transport you to gourmet heaven.