The Culture of Wine Drinking

I was invited to lunch with some friends the other day at a very nice Chinese restaurant. The food was prepared very nicely with attention given to complementation of tastes textures and colors. It was for the most part a traditional Chinese dining experience except for the wine. My host bought a bottle of dry red wine which was produced in Xinjiang the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilization. In between toasts we discussed how the quality of wine in China is on the rise as well as its popularity.

In the four years that I have been in China I have noticed a much larger selection in the stores and including European and South American wines. Many foreign vineyards are even investing in China offering technology and expertise because they see China as a market with incredible potential. Wine producers in Europe especially where the market is experiencing difficulties are hopeful a culture of wine drinking will emerge in China and provide greater economic opportunity. The culture of wine drinking however is difficult to graft into a different culinary culture.

As different kinds of baijiu complement different dishes so wine has its own pairings. Dry red wine is best with dark meats and cheese. A fruity red wine goes well with lobster or spicy food. White wine is best chilled and is paired with fish chicken and pork. Cheese is also an important part of wine culture. There is an endless array of soft and hard cheeses that taste nothing like the sour cheese found in Central Asia. Many western cheeses are made specifically for consumption with wine. 

For me it is hard to imagine drinking wine without these pairings in mind and yet in China I have many times had red wine with fish or white wine with beef. This is because few people are aware of the subtleties of western flavors. The culture of wine drinking is still very western but no matter what Chinese necessarily imbibe it within their own gastronomic context. It seems to me that as the wine industry develops that it certain pairings will become more common such as strong fruity red wines and spicy Sichuanese fare. Perhaps these wines will even be made in Xinjiang. As foreign drinks become part of Chinese culinary culture I hope high quality dishes will at the same time be exported to the west where the universe of Chinese food is largely unknown. This would represent the pinnacle of East-West dialogue and what better place to do it than Xinjiang!