"Catherine Ng" wrote .......
>
>I fully admit I'm a wine newbie. I thought this was the perfect
> group to reach a bunch of "experts" to help me.
>
> I am shopping for wine to serve at my Chinese wedding banquet,
> and I am allowed to bring in all my own liquor. I need a versatile
> white and red wine to go with the food, which is Cantonese and
> slightly more seafood based (lobster, steamed fish, scallops,
> shrimp dishes, among others).
>
> I want to keep the wine inexpensive, under $15. Also, there will
> be 200 people at this banquet, and not everyone is a
> "serious" wine drinker.
>


Catherine, you pose an interesting question because, whereas the traditional
winemaking regions of Europe have a history of wine and food matching, China's
complex regional cuisine lacks an equivalent regional wine culture.

This presents a challenge, because often, the complicated mix of flavours
and textures often present within one dish can cause even the most avid
wine/foodie "confusion" when asked to match one or more wines to accompany a
Chinese meal.

The old rule that white wine goes with fish, red wine with meat does exists
for sound reasons.

High tannin red wines drunk with oily fish can cause unpleasant metallic
flavours to develop, while the same wines drunk with something like a rare
steak will have their tannins softened, allowing wine and food to work in
harmony.

So, to accompany a Cantonese seafood dish, I may look at a white wine such
as an (unoaked) French Chablis in preference to an oaky New World
Chardonnay.

But my No 1 choice would be Sauvignon Blanc from either the Loire (Sancerre)
or New Zealand (Marlborough).

A Riesling which is light bodied and has a strong backbone of acidity would
be suitable in balancing the oiliness of some fish.

Red wine can sometimes work well with fish, generally the best matches being
reds which are high in acidity, light to medium bodied and low in tannin.

Pinot Noir is the first choice here, either a fairly simple Burgundy or its
equivalent from Oregon or California.

Beaujolais (not Nouveau) is a reliable source of wines whose fruity bouquet,
light body and cleansing acidity make them worthy partners.

Lighter Italian reds such as Valpolicella or Bardolino are good
alternatives.

And please, do not overlook Champagne - perfect for a wedding!

Good luck

--

st.helier