Muristek
Don’t just plump for an off-dry white to see in the lunar new year: with so much variety in a Chinese spread, try matching styles instead of individual dishes, and don’t neglect the reds
With lunar New Year being celebrated next week, there’s a chance you might be having a Chinese meal over the next few days, but I wonder what you’re planning to drink with it. Wine-wise, at least, the same suspects – usually off-dry whites such as riesling and gewürztraminer – tend to get trotted out all the time, so I was particularly interested that this week’s guest contributor Amy Poon and her husband, Michael, who happens to work in the wine business, suggested some different options to go with her recipes.
With the wok-roasted char siu, they went for a Saint-Estèphe, suggesting Château Capbern (Laithwaites, 15%), Château Meyney (Majestic, 13.5%) “to balance the rich, smoky flavours of the pork” (though, at £28 and £35.99, respectively, neither is what you’d call cheap), or a traditional Loire red such as a chinon or bourgeuil. And for her father’s classic zha jiang noodles, they recommend a rosé champagne or an English sparkling wine such as the Woodchester Valley in today’s pick.
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