Top tips on pairing Burgundy with Chinese food

In Chinese fine dining restaurants, wine pairings have already become an emerging practice. You may wonder if it also works with home-cooked Chinese food. BIVB (Bourgogne Wine Board) shares its insight to inspire your next meal plan.

During the stay at home period, you may miss experience of dining in one of the top Cantonese restaurants in town. However, even when cooking more simple dishes at home, you can step up your game by pairing with the right wine. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

BIVB recommends some ‘Hidden Treasures’ of the Burgundy’s appellations, including Bourgogne and Mâcon plus geographical denomination wines. Equating to 16% of total production in Burgundy, with stricter specifications including more precise delineation and lower yields than Bourgogne or Mâcon without geographical denomination, “they offer an entry point into the unique terroirs of the famous region with incredible taste and price-quality ratio,” said Anne Moreau, president of the communication commission at the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB).

She added: “It highlights areas in the Bourgogne or Mâcon appellations with specific characteristics and narrows the wine down to a village name, such as Mâcon-Uchizy, Bourgogne Epineuil or Mâcon-Lugny, to name just a few; a distinct part of a region, such as Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise or Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune; or even a Climat, such as Bourgogne La Chapelle Notre-Dame and Bourgogne Côte-Saint-Jacques.”

Listed below are a few wine pairing ideas with Guangdong’s regional cuisine:

Deep-fried crispy chicken with Mâcon-Cruzille, Cuvée 910, 2018, Domaine du Clos des Vignes du Maynes (HK$365 @ La Cabane)
The refreshing acidity can cut through the greasiness of the dish, and cherry and cranberry flavours complement chicken flavours like a plum sauce would.

Cantonese char siu with Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune, 2018, JP Marchand (HK$268@The Wine Guild)
Tender inside but charred on the outside, the fresh blackcurrant flavours and minty aroma of the wine matches the sweetness of the roasted pork.

Steamed seasonal fish with Bourgogne Chitry, 2018, Domaine de Moor (HK$260@La Cabane)
The easy-drinking wine has a savoury mineral note, together with the lemony aroma, it enhances the umami flavour of the fish, which is cooked simply.

Pan-fried oyster omelette with Mâcon-Fuissé, Les Tâches, 2017, Domaine Pierre Vessigaud (HK$270@NATURAL)
The wine has a sharp citrus acidity that helps to balance the briny taste of baby oysters in the thin and crispy omelette.

Guangdong steamed pork spare ribs coated with glutinous rice with Mâcon-Lugny, Les Genièvres, 2017, Louis Latour (HK$164@SommTech)
It is a complex dish with savoury and sweet flavours; however the honey notes of the wine can match well with the ingredients, and the white floral aroma is ideal for steamed dishes.

“Bourgogne and Mâcon plus geographical denominations are a true gateway to Bourgogne terroir, with attractive quality to price ratio and ‘enjoyability’ whatever the occasion or meal. Often ready to drink from a young age, they marry with a wide range of diverse cuisines, and are also the perfect choice to enjoy at home with friends and family over a homely Cantonese style dinner,” Moreau concluded.

According to BIVB, Hong Kong retains its place as a high-value market for Bourgogne wines, with year-on-year exports increasing 5.9% in volume and 8% in value in 2018-2019.