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HOME  TAICHUNG ARTICLES
COMPASS
MAGAZINE  March 2012
the wine connection |
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 Wine pairings for popular Taiwanese cuisine
By Kris Love
Translated by Angel Pu
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People often ask if Taiwanese food goes well with wine. With Taiwan's wide range of food and flavors, it's a tough question to answer, but I've chosen three very popular dishes to take a look at.
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Steamed Whole Fish
In Taiwan, fresh fish is usually prepared by steaming it with ginger, spring onions and other fresh, herbal flavours. My personal wine pairing would be a Sauvignon Blanc (white) from either the Loire Valley in France or Marlborough in New Zealand. Another good option would be a Bordeuax Blanc (white), made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. These wines tend to have a herbaceous, aromatic "nose" (smell) which works well with the ginger, onions and herbs the fish is cooked with. The pallet (taste) usually has gooseberries and elderflower with lemon, lime and, often, hints of melon, passionfruit and pineapple. These should work well with the delicate, fresh white fish flavour without overpowering it. Look for a personal favorite--Vacheron Sancerre from France's Loire Valley. |
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'Three Cups' (San Bei) Chicken
A strongly-flavoured wine is ideal for this strongly-flavoured dish. I would go with another white wine–a Gewurztraminer. If you can't find a great one from Alsace in France, look for one from New Zealand, or you may be lucky and find a German one. Gewurztraminer is a full-flavoured wine with spicy, lychee and grapefruit flavours and fragrant rose petals on the nose. It is rich and its heavy, oily texture has enough weight to handle the sweet, sour and ginger flavours. |
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Fried Beef Noodles
Essentially, you are dealing with beef and pasta here, just like some Italian dishes. A red wine with quite high acidity that is not too heavy would be best to balance the oiliness and saltiness. So go with something that works well with pasta, either a Chianti or Barbera from Italy (both quite well-priced) or perhaps something from the south of France in the Languedoc region, like a St Chinian, Coteau du Languedoc, or even a more spicy, full-bodied Fitou. Wines from the Languedoc-Rousillon region are widely available in Taiwan at wine shops and supermarkets. For any of these, you should look for something about two to four years old. |
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Stinky Tofu
Open any wine you like, put the "chou" tofu in another room and forget about it!
kris@wineconnection.co.nz
0916-222-336 |
Compass Magazine is required by law to remind you not to drink and drive. |
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