“B” is for BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) #AtoZChallenge @AprilA2Z

Bring your own bottle. Nothing that a Jew likes better than getting a Bargain.  Did you notice that?  TWO “B’s” for the price of one in one article. THAT is what we refer to as getting it wholesale.  A real deal!

And since we’re talking in twos, or pairs (please excuse the pun in advance), than pairing wine with Chinese Food.  Now if you can find a Chinese restaurant that allows you to Bring your own bottle, all the better.  For you’ll be saving a, umm, Boatload of money, and getting to find the right wine for the Chinese food that you’ll be eating.

BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle

Always aiming to be at your service, The Chinese Quest brings you this quick, Dummies (yes, we resemble that remark!) guide to Pairing Wine with Chinese food:

Delicate Dishes such as Dim Sum and Steamed or Stir-fried Vegetable Dishes

Champagne or sparkling wine is the ideal answer with dim sum – both the steamed and deep fried variety, especially when stuffed with shellfish. It also goes well with lighter stir fries and steamed fish and vegetable and with the more delicate flavours of Cantonese food.  Dry Rieslings such as those from Germany, Austria and Alsace work well with these kinds of dishes too.

Sweet and Sour Dishes

This is where off-dry wines score best and why fruity rosé works so well. Even those who don’t like White Zinfandel must concede that it’s in its natural element with these types of dishes.  Aromatic whites such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Austrian Grüner Veltliner are also a good matches as is Argentinian Torrontes.

Duck

The wine-friendliest dish of all in the Chinese repertoire, fabulous with lighter reds such as Beaujolais (or the very similar Australian Tarrango) and Pinot Noir as well as more intensely flavored Merlots (including Merlot-dominated blends from Bordeaux) and lush Australian Shiraz.

Powerful Dishes (i.e Spicy!) with Sticky Sauces

Such as glazed ribs or crab in black bean sauce. Here fruity reds again come into play.  A Mourvèdre and a Grenache, both big wines but without excessive tannins are good choices. Ripe fruity reds certainly tend to deal best with the hotter, spicier dishes like Szechuan beef.

If you prefer a white wine, may we suggest a rich waxy Pinot Gris from Alsace, Oregon or New Zealand which works with tricky-to-match dishes such as eel and black beans.

Do you have any favorite wine pairings, or wines, that you’d like to share with us?

Humbly submitted for your consumption,

—Mee Magnum  (“Chop!  Chop!”)