Best Chinese Restaurant for Chinese and Szechuan Food in Twin Cities, Bloomington, Minneapolis St Paul MN

Chinese Food, Wine And The Perfect Pairing
Selecting the right wine for Chinese food and even Thai cuisine requires identifying the
dominant taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter) sensation of a dish. The dominant taste sensations are
sour (rice vinegar), sweet (sugar, coconut milk) and salt (soy).
When it comes to German Riesling wines and Chinese food, sensory scientists have shown that
the different taste qualities - sweet, sour, salty, bitter - inhibit or suppress one another. In the
domain of wine and food, we say they balance or compliment one another.
For example, sour (acidity) and sweet also suppress one another; adding sugar to lemon juice
reduces the tartness; the level of acidity or sourness has not changed but the presence of sugar
changes how we perceive it. It is the Riesling grape's ability to develop high sugar levels while
maintaining acidity that produces white wines that age very well and compliment Chinese food
as well. Riesling wine is produced from dry to very sweet. Riesling wine is produced from dry to
very sweet; the sweetness level of a Kabinett or Spatlese counterbalances the Chinese food's salt
and sour.
German Riesling wine is not only good at quelling the heat of chilies but it is a perfect wine for
Thai and Chinese cuisine.
The conventional wisdom of pairing Gewurztraminer wine and Chinese food with highly spiced
Szechuan dishes works except that Gewurztraminer's higher alcohol levels (13-14%) kick up the
burn a bit.
Gewurztraminer literally means "spice grapes". The California variant has a "spicy-peach" flavor
along with a hint of ginger. Other possible choices in the pairing of Chinese food and wine are a
French Pouily Fuisse or a Sauvignon Blanc.
Cantonese, China's "haute cuisine", dishes are much more subtly seasoned. For this Chinese food
and wine pairing try a sweet fruity German Riesling Kabinett or Spatlese, and you will enjoy
wonderful results. Meanwhile, a red Bordeaux wine pairing with Chinese food is particularly
appropriate for Shanghai cuisine which tends to be quite rich so the tannin in the wine plays well
against the fat content of the meat.

A Merlot from Pomerol or St. Emilion and Chinese food pairing compliments well with Peking
cuisine, which often features heavier meats as duck and beef. So does a red Burgundy such as
Pinot Noir.
Dishes with fruit such as bananas, mangoes and peaches, pair well with Pinot Noir, Riesling and
Merlot. Sherry or tawny Port goes well with dishes that include generous amounts of almonds or
peanuts.
Duck and smoked ham go well with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Riesling, Gewurztraminer,
Petite Sirah or Zinfandel wines compliment foods customarily forward with fruit and spice,
liberally laced with Szechuan peppercorns, chili peppers, wasabi, mustard or curry.
Chinese cuisine often consists of varied dishes, some notably sweet, some spicy, others fruity or
smoky or delicate. There will likely be chicken, lobster, pork and duck.