Exquisite Harmonies: Matching Iberian Wines with China¡¯s Great Cuisines(3)
A classic dish like Hui guo rou (twice cooked pork) comprises crisp pork belly, garlic, green chili and hua jiao. This dish cries out for aromatic whites such as AlbariáÀo from Rias Baixas DO or the similarly aromatic grape Godello, also from Galicia (Valdeorras DO). Ideally, whites with residual sugar work best, but these grapes have enough character and ‘sweet’ aromas to hold up.
Some robust reds can also pair well too. Try top Priorato, heavier grade Ribera del Duero reds, or dry Douro blends based on Touriga Naáìional, again because of their nominally ‘sweet’ fruit and full bodies. But beware of excessive alcohol and high tannins as these can accentuate spice. Chuan cooking may be tough on wine, but there are some surprising combinations that can work.
Huaiyang (Jiangsu)
Jiangsu cuisine is complex and immensely varied, but expect light, crisp dishes with striking shapes ‡° Huai food is famous for its cutting and presentational techniques ‡° as well as refreshing flavors. Shi zi tou or ‘lion’s head casserole’ is aesthetically striking: its floating pork mince resembling the heads of Chinese mythological lions (often seen at temples or even outside restaurants!). The pork is simmered in a delicate stock with green vegetables and ginger. Sparkling wines, such as top-quality Cava, would work well here, but so would Rueda Sauvignon Blanc or the classic Verdejo from the same region. The high acidity of all these wines cuts the pork mince and the bubbles in the Cava are a good foil for the salty stock here. Fino or Manzanilla Sherries would also possibly pair well with this dish. Although Sherry is not naturally all that acidic, the ‘acetic’ and flor-affected flavors combine beautifully with this classic Huaiyang speciality.
Above all, experiment! Some people complain that the vast range of dishes that come to a Chinese dinner table make food-and-wine matching essentially impossible. But people tend to dine in big groups in Chinese restaurants and this means that multiple wines can be served to match with multiple dishes: watch a bottle of Rioja disappear among ten people. Also, Iberian wines are themselves well-placed to match myriad flavors: look at tapas. Tapas is in some ways the equivalent of the ‘starters’, usually cold dishes, that always begin a Chinese banquet: everything from preserved sausage to jellyfish to pickled cucumbers. If the wines of Spain and Portugal can’t cope with that, we’d be very surprised!
