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Why the Chinese prefer to drink red wine with food
To most westerners the idea of drinking young red Bordeaux with Chinese food seems bizarre. Especially with delicate Cantonese dishes, the most widely available of the Chinese cuisines in the west . Clearly though the Chinese who are paying stratospheric prices for first and second growths - and presumably drinking them - think differently. They don’t turn to riesling and other aromatic and off-dry whites for a reason.
The most common explanation is that it’s not a question of taste but of face. Bordeaux labels impress according to wine writer and MW Jeannie Cho Lee of Asian Palate but it’s not only about the status of the host. “Ordering an easily recognised wine label shows an acknowledgement of the importance of the relationship with the guest, sending a clear message to the recipient that says, ‘This is how important you are to me’. This is not limited to wine but has always existed in our food culture - high grade abalone can cost over US$200 for a single small serving.”
But why Bordeaux, rather than the more food-friendly burgundy? “Because the Chinese have a strong love of prestigious luxury brands and Bordeaux is the most prestigious accessible wine brand” says Doug Rumsam, managing director of Bordeaux Index in Hong Kong. “Burgundy is much more difficult to get your head around. It’s much less about food and wine matching than the best they can offer of each.”
“There’s also an element of masculinity involved in business transactions. It used to centre around hard liquor. Bordeaux would be seen as a more masculine drink.”
Such an attitude is of course is not restricted to the Chinese. “We have a lot of Bordeaux on our list because of the area we’re in” says Michael Peng of Hunan in Belgravia, one of London’s longest established upmarket Chinese restaurants. “People who love Bordeaux want to drink it with everything. We have a lot of 2nd and 3rd growths at prices that appeal to bargain-hunters.”
The colour red also has a much greater resonance in Chinese culture than it does in the west. “The red for luck thing is certainly true” says cookery writer Fuchsia Dunlop who acts as consultant to the Sichuanese restaurant Bar Shu. “Red is the colour of celebrations such as weddings and New Year's festivities. At a festive dinner table you would try to have red-coloured foods such as lobster and red grouper. So red wine would fit in with that. By contrast white is the colour of funerals in China - traditionally, mourners wear white, while brides wear red.”
Red wine also has a positive association with health, points out Jeannie Cho Lee, which would increase its prestige. “One of the key factors that popularised wine in the mid-1990s was the connection between red wine and health. If one looks at expensive, highly sought after Chinese ingredients such as bird’s nest, shark’s fin and sea cucumber the most common factor is their purported health-enhancing properties.”
There’s also the issue of language, according to Hong Kong journalist and MW Debra Meiburg. “One problem for a white wine producing region such as Alsace, is that the classic Chinese character depicting wine is a catch-all character for any alcoholic beverage. Thus when one mentions ‘white wine’ it is easily confused with domestic white spirits. Chinese newcomers to white wine find them tart and insipid compared to Chinese distilled, high alcohol ‘white-lightening’ beverages.”
White wines are also less appealing than reds because of their serving temperature. “With hot tea the traditional drink of choice for Chinese diners, migrating to a super cold white seems a much bigger step than switching to a room temperature red.” says Meiburg.
Even the tannins of young Bordeaux don’t seem as offputting as one might assume. Again the Chinese are used to tannin from drinking tea and, in some cases, stronger liquor like whisky and cognac. Michael Peng from Hunan also points out that there are dishes that positively benefit from a tannic wine. “Ingredients like jelly fish, sea cucumber and abalone tend to be quite glutinous, chewy and even slithery. When you drink a wine with tannin it cuts right through. Chinese people like those textures.”
And far from turning to an off-dry white to deal with hotter dishes the Chinese enjoy the cumulative build up of tannin and spice on the palate according to Cho Lee. “For those who are not used to the heat of Sichuan pepper for example, the tannins in red Bordeaux can exaggerated the burn. However, this is precisely what spice-lovers enjoy — prolonging the heat and spiciness of chillies, not neutralising the flavours with a jarring sweet wine."
“I’m always cautious about promoting sweet wine with spicy food” agrees Meiburg. “Sweetness has the effect of mellowing spice. For the regions that love spiciness, such as Hunan or Sichuan, diners want their spices cranked up, not toned down.”
There is a generational factor at work however. The questions of ‘face’ and preference for tannic reds is more marked among older more conservative Chinese consumers than among their younger, more widely travelled counterparts who may have been educated in the west. Bryant Mao assistant head sommelier at Chez Bruce is a Taiwanese-Canadian who finds many of the ingredients in Chinese cooking unsympathetic to red Bordeaux. “If I think of my mum’s cooking it uses a lot of sauces and condiments like vinegar and oyster sauce that clash with red wine. And white’s certainly better than red with seafood. If I’m going to drink red I tend to go for pinot noir or Italian reds or Bordeaux with a higher proportion of merlot. White bordeaux can often work better than red.”
“It does depend which region you’re in” admits Charles Sichel of Chateau Palmer. “While I would say that consumption is still 90% red the feeling we get is that white wines are becoming a little more fashionable on the east coast below Shanghai and further south where there’s a lot of fish and shellfish.”
No-one’s putting their money on whites though, least of all China’s homegrown wine producers. “At the moment, all signs seem to indicate that the Chinese are perfectly happy with red Bordeaux and full bodied Cabernet blends with their meals, regardless of how outsiders perceive their preferences” says Cho Lee. “The enormous amount of new vineyard land being planted with Cabernet Sauvignon is a clear indication that even the giant domestic wineries are continuing to bet on full bodied reds.”
This article was first published in the June 2011 issue of Decanter.
Photograph © michaeljung - Fotolia.com
Award-winning whiskies to drink on Burns Night
If you're planning a Burns Night supper this weekend you may be wondering which whisky to pair with it. Born and bred Scot, Ewan Lacey, general manager of the International Wine & Spirit Competition has some answers.
"I’m from the north of Scotland and as a child, whisky was always present: at family gatherings, New Year and Christmas or in the bottom of my grandfather’s tumbler. For us then, it was something local and traditional but sadly, in decline. The ongoing story in the 80’s was of distilleries falling silent and often demolished. Distilleries were going to great lengths to try and find new business: indeed my sister’s class was invited on a school trip to the GlenDronach distillery and she came back laden with miniature bottles of whisky and a branded chamois leather windscreen cloth (she was nine years old!)
Thankfully, down to the planning and foresight of the men and women of the industry and the smart decision to position malt whiskies in the duty free market, the crisis was replaced by a boom. Thirty years of growth has led to peaks of quality in the industry. Scotland’s water of life – uisge beatha – has never been so good.
I’ve got a few recommendations below drawn from some of our top medal-winning whiskies, which will pair wonderfully well with the best of Scotland’s natural larder.
Food Matches:
Cullen Skink
I favour a whisky like Glenmorangie Original (Gold 2014), it has ‘high’ flavour notes of citrus, dried fruit and has a lovely zesty finish, it offers a lovely contrast to the dense, deeply flavoured soup.
Scallops
This is all about delicacy and one of the ‘silent’ lowland whiskies, such as Auchentoashan 12 (Silver Outstanding 2014) will offer a fabulous match because of its gentle flavour profile and smooth finish.
Venison
If pushing the boat out, the whiskies of Dalmore are an unparalleled match. If not, Black Bottle (Silver 2014) is a personal favourite, a blend that offers plenty of punch and peat.
All-Rounders
If you are serving one whisky throughout, I would recommend one of the fantastic own brand whiskies out there which are blended to appeal to a broad range of palates and flavours. Waitrose and Lidl (Queen Margot) both won Gold Outstanding for their 8 year old blended whiskies which offer tremendous value.
What to drink with haggis:
Haggis is rich and peppery and the choice is whether to complement these strong flavours or create a contrast with them.
Peaty, fully flavoured malts from Islay offer a fabulous match. They have a wonderful smoky characteristic which is fabulous with the spicy notes in the haggis. Blends such as White Horse (Gold Outstanding) also work, as do single Islay malts such as Bowmore or Laphroaig
If you’re looking for a contrast then the lighter malts of Speyside and the Highlands work wonderfully well. A blend such as Grant’s is a quintessential dram for those in search of something clear, pure and not too taxing on the wallet. Glenfiddich and Macallan are fantastic if you favour a single malt.
There are also some deluxe whiskies such as Chivas 18 year old (Gold Outstanding 2014) which are not only of the highest quality, but made with a broad range of drinkers in mind and will also match marvellously well with the haggis.
The IWSC 's Burns Night Supper is offered by T.E.D restaurant, King’s Cross from the 15th – 25th January. The five-course set menu is priced at £38.50 pp, whisky pairing at £22.50 pp. 0203 763 2080
A quick guide to wine serving temperatures
The mistake most people make when they’re serving wine is to serve whites too cold and reds too warm. Assuming you haven’t got a handy wine thermometer here’s a quick guide to the ideal temperature for different styles of wine:
Six tips to remember:
* chilling wine improves inexpensive whites and rosés but can dumb down richer, more expensive whites such as chardonnay.
* even full-bodied reds benefit from being served cellar cool rather than at room temperature (which can easily reach 23°C plus during a party)
* How cold - or warm - you want your wine may also depend on the time of year and the weather - a little warmer in winter, a little colder in high summer.
* If your fridge is stuffed with food it will obviously take longer to chill your wine.
* Magnums will take longer to chill than standard bottles which in turn will take longer than half bottles.
* The easiest way to cool a large number of wines is to plunge them into a large plastic bin filled with ice and water (not just ice). Far quicker than the fridge.
Sparkling wine and non-vintage champagne 6-8°C (43-46°F)
2-3 hours in the fridge
Vintage champagne 8-9°C (46-48°F)
1 1/2 - 2 hours in the fridge
Dessert wines (excluding fortified wine like madeira, port and sherry) 6-8°C (43-46°F)
2 hours in the fridge (though half bottles may take less)
Crisp dry white wines like pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc and aromatic whites like riesling 8-9°C (46-48°F)
1 1/2 hours to 2 hours in the fridge
Richer, full-bodied whites like chardonnay 10-11°C (50°-52°F)
1 hour in the fridge
Rosé 8-10°C (46°-50°F)
1 1/2 hours in the fridge
Light reds such as pinot noir and gamay 12-14°C (59-57°F)
1/2-3/4 hour in the fridge
Medium-bodied reds such as Bordeaux, Chianti and Rioja 15-16°C (59-61°F)
‘cellar temperature’ or, if you don’t have a cellar as most of us don't, the temperature of an unheated room
Full-bodied reds such as shiraz and malbec 17-18 °C (63-65°F)
in other words ‘cool room temperature’
Fino and manzanilla sherry 10-11°C (50-52°F)
Often in half bottles so should chill in the fridge within 3/4 of an hour to an hour
Amontillado sherry and tawny port 12-14°C (59-57°F)
1/2 an hour in the fridge
Image © food pictures studio - Fotolia.com
Is Aldi or Lidl better value for your Christmas wine?
Just as UKIP has shaken up the political landscape so Aldi and Lidl have changed the face of retailing in the UK. You might not have considered buying your wine there before but you certainly should this Christmas.
Which is the better shop to go to? Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I’d say Aldi had the better offers across the board - I’ll be posting some of their best wines for everyday drinking in the next few days - but Lidl has some real highspots too. Be aware that both operate on a WIGIG (when it’s gone, it’s gone) basis so you might find some lines - e.g. the 30 y.o. tawny port - are already sold out.
Here’s my pick of what each has to offer.
PARTY FIZZ
ALDI Philippe Michel Crémant du Jura 2012 £7.29 ****
Aldi consistently sells one of the best value sparkling wines in the country. Surprisingly it comes from the obscure Jura region in the east of France but is an elegant bottle of bubbly that’s just as enjoyable as champagne.
LIDL Cava Gran Cuvée 11.5% **** £7.49
Cava gets overlooked these days but this delivers the goods in a great-looking bottle. Fresh, clean and drier than prosecco.
CHAMPAGNE
ALDI Leon Launois Grand Cru Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006 £22.99 *****
Champagne is the big battleground this Christmas and Aldi does of course have a budget line (the perfectly decent Veuve Monsigny at £11.99 ***) but if you feel like spoiling yourself this gorgeous blanc de blancs is a great price for a vintage fizz. Save it for seafood - maybe an Aldi lobster!
LIDL Champagne Grand Cru Brut £17.99 *****
Same message. Lidl’s basic Bissinger is decent but this is a significant step up. A really elegant, classy champagne - great for the price.
CHRISTMAS DAY WHITE
ALDI - Henri de Lorgère Macon Chardonnay 2013 £6.99 ****
A lovely creamy white burgundy that could pass for a much more expensive bottle. Would go with the Christmas turkey, if you prefer white to red. Better still with salmon or a festive fish pie.
LIDL - Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2012 12% £6.29 ****
You might not think Muscadet quite posh enough for the Christmas table but this good-looking bottle would be perfect with seafood or smoked salmon
CHRISTMAS DAY RED
LIDL - Gigondas, Calade des Eveques 13.5% £9.99 *****
I was tempted to pick the smooth, mellow Chateau Roylland Saint-Emilion Grand Cru **** 2008 but at £12.99 it’s a little more than you might want to spend especially at Lidl but this Gigondas - a Chateauneuf-du-Pape drinkalike - is a real bargain. Definitely one for the turkey.
ALDI - The Exquisite Collection Crozes Hermitage 2012 £8.99 12.5% *****
Aldi’s Exquisite Collection Gigondas, also at £9.99 is good too **** but this big, generous spicy Crozes Hermitage is even better, a pound cheaper and only 12.5%. Would go with turkey but better still with beef.
SWEET WINES
LIDL - Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh 2011 £7.99 *****
You may not be able to pronounce it (it’s pash-er-anc dew vic beel) but this tiny region of south-west France is one of the country’s hidden treasures. Locally they would drink it with foie gras but it’s also perfect with Christmas pudding.
ALDI - Selection Beerenauslese 11% £5.99 ****
From the best wine region in Austria for sweet wine, this lush beerenauslese is a fantastic buy. Delicious with a light fruity trifle or a festive pavlova. Or sip it with stollen
PORT
LIDL - 10 year old tawny £9.99 ****
A lovely rich nutty tawny - perfect for the Christmas cheeseboard. The best 10 y.o. tawny for the price I've tasted.
ALDI - Maynard’s 30 year old tawny port £29.99 ****
I’m not a big fan of Aldi’ Maynard’s ports as a rule but this deeply nutty 30 y.o. version is a bargain for a port of this age and would make a splendid present. Sip with dark chocolate and nuts. Or some aged parmesan.
Food villains - 9 awkward customers that could kill your wine
This weekend I’ve been down at my favourite food festival in Dartmouth where I’ve been giving a number of wine talks. One of them was a forum on food and wine matching with wine writer and TV presenter Susy Atkins and former sommelier and wine supplier Tim McLoughlin-Green of Sommelier’s Choice.
We’d discussed the talk beforehand and came up with 9 foods that in our experience could be tricky matches for wine and suggested some wines to pair with them. Here’s how they worked:
Eggs - it’s generally runny yolks that are the problem but scrambled egg can be tricky too. The solution - one we all agreed on - is a dry sparkling wine. Champagne if you feel like splashing out - Cava or a crémant if you don’t. (Prosecco is a touch sweet in my opinion)
Grillled artichokes in oil - not as bad as boiled artichokes, especially with a vinaigrette but still a bit of a villain. We tried an inexpensive zesty Chilean sauvignon blanc which I thought worked rather well and an aromatic Traminerfrom north-east Italy I thought was delicious but was less convinced by as a match.
Avocado - we were going to feature asparagus but couldn’t get our hands on any went for a stightly less tricky customer, avocado, again with the sauvignon and traminer. Most preferred the latter but I found it too perfumed for avocado. A drier Italian white like a pinot grigio or Verdicchio or - if it’s served as a guacamole - a margarita for me.
Smoked kipper - Does anyone drink wine with kippers? Normally I’d go for a cup of tea but Susy’s suggestion of a fino sherry was spot on.
Pickled anchovies - the hardest of the ingredients, I thought. Again quite a few liked the traminer but I’d have gone for a drier white like a Muscadet or Vinho Verde. Or, frankly much better, a well chilled pilsner.
Marinated chicken with chilli sauce from the South Devon farm - not as tricky as it might have been. The marinade was quite mild and there was no accompanying dip. I really liked it with a new aromatic medium-sweet English Schönburger called Mena Hweg from Devon producer Knightor which is only 7.5%. Even better with a Vietnamese or Thai-style chicken salad.
Bucklers cheddar - we were originally going to serve one of those super-stinky cheeses like Stinking Bishop but couldn’t find one so went for this strong cheddar and a blue (below) instead. Surprisingly it went rather well with an Alsace gewurztraminer - my normal preference would have been for an oak-aged chardonnay or a strong ale. (Bordeaux also works well but with slightly milder more mellow cheddars.)
Devon Blue - Blue cheeses generally work best with sweet wines. This wasn’t as powerfully veined as some blues but quite punchy and salty, so also worked well with the gewurztraminer. Monbazillac would have been another good pairing
Lindt Mint chocolate - this, we thought, would be the real killer but actually worked really well with Tim’s suggestion of a recioto, a delicious sweet version of Valpolicella. The other options we tried, PX sherry and dark rum, knocked out the mint flavour of the chocolate which some might regard as a positive but if you're into mint chocolate wouldn't be so good.
You may also find this earlier post interesting The 10 trickiest foods to match with wine
Many thanks to Browns Hotel who did a grand job of preparing the foods in an easy ‘one bite’ format for people to taste and to William Atkins for serving them so charmingly.
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