We are regularly having a night with Kung Pao Chicken, Broccoli Beef and fried rice. We’ve tried a number of wines, most just sat in the glass until dinner was done. Lighter Zin has been the best so far, but there may something better. At issue I suppose is the spice of the Kung Pao versus the sweetness of the Broccoli Beef. The Kung Pao and B Beef provide a great contrast of flavors but nothing seems to pair with both. Maybe we need two bottles of wine? Anybody have some suggestions of what to try next?
I like riesling (Kab or Spat) with Chinese. Usually when we eat Chinese we are having multiple dishes, and the flavor profiles can be fairly diverse. The common thread is salt (soy sauce) and the Riesling acts as a nice foil; the sweetness would be good to tame the spice of kung pao, too. Lambrusco could also work if you’re looking for a red.
From the cook: Experiment alert… I’m grabbing a bone dry rose of grenache, an off dry Riesling and a light sangio blend.
We’ll let you know if dinner’s done before we’re hammered or all the wines end up blended into a sangria-ish cauldron There maybe pics/video = stay tuned
Riper modern zin is a reasonably good match with spicy Asian foods. Lacking much tannin, it doesn’t become bitter tasting (capsaicin amplifies the perception of tannins, making many red wines taste bitter), and it has enough fruit and power not to be obscured by the food flavors.
I’m not saying it’s food/wine geek nirvana, it’s just a workable option if you or your company wants red wine with those dishes on some occasion.
While not necessarily this bottle, a slightly sweeter champagne was my first intuition and recommendation. Riesling as a second idea. I can’t think of any red that I would drink.
Call me blasphemous but most of the time I like beer with Chinese food, something like a Peroni.