Chopsticks leave me fumbling, but that doesn’t stop me devouring Chinese food at least once a week. Unfortunately cooking my own stir fries has become a bit of problem since moving house: lack of mains gas means all my cooking must be done on an electric hob and my round bottomed wok just doesn’t work well on that.
So when I fancy sweet and sour pork balls and black bean chicken I place an order at the local take-away, then pop next door to the off-licence and pick up a suitable bottle of wine.
This is usually a bottle of German white – the naturally sweet-sour flavours of Riesling, Müller-Thurgau or Gewürztraminer work best with Chinese food. Open one of these wines and your nose is assaulted with honey, elderflower and pineapple. Overpowering for many, such a complex mix can easily swamp the delicate scents of vegetarian Chinese dishes. For these choose a wine that is still slightly sweet but less complex – rosé wine makes a surprisingly good match.
Spring rolls with bean sprouts or noodles in sesame sauce all compliment the strawberry flavours of a classic Anjou rosé, while the raspberry aromas commonly found in Merlot rosés enhances both dim sum and mushroom dishes.
PG Wine Reviews
Tesco Chianti 2015
£4.90 Tesco
Blackberry, cherry and liquorice. Good wine for nosh. And another plus – the print on the back label is actually large enough to read without getting out the arm extension. Now there’s an innovation.
Aldi Venturer Series Italian Primitivo 2015
£4.99 Aldi
Tastes like cherry Madiera cake.
Latitute Chilean Chardonnay-Semillon 2016
£5 Sainsbury’s (down from £6.50 until September 20)
Sharp flavours of grapefruit and apple tempered with banana. A good everyday white.
Latitute Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 2015
£5 Sainsbury’s (down from £6.50 until September 20)
Tastes like Quality Street. Simple stuff but tasty.
Co-op Truly Irresistible Italian Gavi 2015
£7.99 Co-op
Peaches and honey.
16 Little Black Pigs Australian Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
£8.99 Virgin Wines
A fruity red with flavours of liquorice and dark coffee running through.
Tweet me a wine question @huxelrebe
© Paula Goddard 2016 www.paulagoddard.com
