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 will have no control over how the wine is served in terms of size of
glasses and how long it will sit out, so 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.

I basically am looking for an inoffensive wine that will be versatile
and inexpensive--one that the average joe can enjoy and one that won't
majorly offend the serious wine drinker. I have an attractively priced
white blend candidate from Fenn Valley winery in Michigan (random
find!) but am having a hard time with red.

Any suggestions at all for red or white? Or is there another forum or
board I should ask? Thank you so much in advance.

"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

I'd endorse St. Helier's suggestions, with a couple additional comments;

For the red wines, you might want to go with some wines that are 'spicier'
in character, to avoid the wine being overpowered by the Cantonese food.
Some suggestions;
CA Central Coast and/or Oregon Pinot Noirs
Cotes du Rhone blends

Agree completely on the white wine recommends. Would add to that (St Helier
is being modest) - New Zealand unoaked Chardonnays (arguably amongst the
best in the world, and range $14 to $20 in the US), village level Burgundy
vin blancs. Harder to get in your price ranges.



>>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
>

st.helier wrote:

> 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).

Having just spent four days in Shanghai eating seafood banquets every
night accompanied by French red plonk rebranded for the Chinese market,
I agree in spades, milud!

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

My thoughts perzackly. A good QbA Riesling from the '04 vintage in
Germany would do very nicely, as would an '05 Muscadet from a quality
producer (the Rieslings being far more available, though).

>
> 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.

This would be my first choice: a decent Bojo-Villages from '04.

>
> Lighter Italian reds such as Valpolicella or Bardolino are good
> alternatives.
>
> And please, do not overlook Champagne - perfect for a wedding!

Bang on. A decent sparkling wine is about as versatile as it gets.

Mark Lipton

While the suggestions by St Helier, Ric and Dr. Lipton are good as far
as type, there are good and bad examples of each of those wines. Are
you shopping in an area with good wine shops, or are you at the mercy
of grocery stores or state stores? If we knew where we could make
specific suggestions (not all wines are distributed everywhere)


cng545 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 will have no control over how the wine is served in terms of size of
> glasses and how long it will sit out, so 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.
>
> I basically am looking for an inoffensive wine that will be versatile
> and inexpensive--one that the average joe can enjoy and one that won't
> majorly offend the serious wine drinker. I have an attractively priced
> white blend candidate from Fenn Valley winery in Michigan (random
> find!) but am having a hard time with red.
>
> Any suggestions at all for red or white? Or is there another forum or
> board I should ask? Thank you so much in advance.

Thank you to all who have responded. These suggestions are an excellent
resource to me.

DaleW- I am somewhat limited because the banquet will be in
Massachusetts which has restricted shipping status. However, if I find
a good deal I may find a way to ship it to a friend in a neighboring
state to drive it in. I currently live in Chicago.

Specific examples would be great. I do have to keep it below $15 per
bottle if at all possible. Thank you again!


DaleW wrote:
> While the suggestions by St Helier, Ric and Dr. Lipton are good as far
> as type, there are good and bad examples of each of those wines. Are
> you shopping in an area with good wine shops, or are you at the mercy
> of grocery stores or state stores? If we knew where we could make
> specific suggestions (not all wines are distributed everywhere)
>
>
> cng545 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 will have no control over how the wine is served in terms of size of
> > glasses and how long it will sit out, so 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.
> >
> > I basically am looking for an inoffensive wine that will be versatile
> > and inexpensive--one that the average joe can enjoy and one that won't
> > majorly offend the serious wine drinker. I have an attractively priced
> > white blend candidate from Fenn Valley winery in Michigan (random
> > find!) but am having a hard time with red.
> >
> > Any suggestions at all for red or white? Or is there another forum or
> > board I should ask? Thank you so much in advance.

Mass. isn't so difficult. Some NYC retailers ship there (unsure of
actual legalities). You could try chambers st wines in NY
(http://chambersstwines.com/). Lots of good under$15 choices in
categories previously mentioned:
NZ SB: Cairnbrae the Stones
Muscadet: Pepiere!
German Riesling: Darting Kab, Hexamer Quartzit QbA
Beaujolais: Brun VV
Burg: Pernot
Plus cheap fun stuff like Iche Heretiques or Oupia Minervois.
If they can't ship to MA ask re states where guests are driving from.

Only store I really know in Mass is Table and Vine, pretty good store.
A quick look at website shows things like Boniface Apremont, '04
Bourgognes from Drouhin and Faugeray. Dr Loosen '04 QbA, etc.

One other thought. If it were me, I wouldn't have just one red and one
white. Crisp food-friendly reds and whites are indeed the way to go.
But I like to have an alternate for the people who are most comfortable
with what they know. I'd find a decent California Chardonnay and a
bigger red (Cline Zin, Bogle Petite Sirah) as an alternative. I don't
think they match with food especially well, but some people like to
stay in comfort zone.

Have a great time!

DaleW wrote:
> While the suggestions by St Helier, Ric and Dr. Lipton are good as far
> as type, there are good and bad examples of each of those wines. Are
> you shopping in an area with good wine shops, or are you at the mercy
> of grocery stores or state stores? If we knew where we could make
> specific suggestions (not all wines are distributed everywhere)

Dr. Lipton am I now?? OK, MR. Williams! We'll see where that takes
us... ;-)

Mark Lipton
(back safely in the US and ready for sleep)

cng545 wrote:
> DaleW- I am somewhat limited because the banquet will be in
> Massachusetts which has restricted shipping status. However, if I find
> a good deal I may find a way to ship it to a friend in a neighboring
> state to drive it in. I currently live in Chicago.
>
> Specific examples would be great. I do have to keep it below $15 per
> bottle if at all possible. Thank you again!

NZ Pinot Noir wouldn't be a bad idea at all, IMO. If you do find any,
please let me know where - I'll be back in Chicago in a couple of
months' time, and I've had some difficulty finding shops with a good
range of NZ wines.

I'm not that familiar with Cantonese food, but if it's anywhere near as
spicy as Sichuan cuisine, then I'd definitely suggest some
Gewurztraminer.

Salil wrote:
> cng545 wrote:
>
>>DaleW- I am somewhat limited because the banquet will be in
>>Massachusetts which has restricted shipping status. However, if I find
>>a good deal I may find a way to ship it to a friend in a neighboring
>>state to drive it in. I currently live in Chicago.
>>
>>Specific examples would be great. I do have to keep it below $15 per
>>bottle if at all possible. Thank you again!
>
>
> NZ Pinot Noir wouldn't be a bad idea at all, IMO. If you do find any,
> please let me know where - I'll be back in Chicago in a couple of
> months' time, and I've had some difficulty finding shops with a good
> range of NZ wines.

Sam's has a decent range of NZ wines, especially SBs, but I've also
found the 2000 Martinborough Vyds Pinot Noir there, so some reds are
represented.

>
> I'm not that familiar with Cantonese food, but if it's anywhere near as
> spicy as Sichuan cuisine, then I'd definitely suggest some
> Gewurztraminer.

No, true Cantonese cooking is far less spicy, relying more on ginger and
garlic. Cantonese cooking also features far more seafood since it's a
coastal province, as opposed to landlocked Sichuan. One aspect of
Cantonese cooking with which many are familiar is dim sum. Other famous
dishes are dry-fried prawns in salt, crab with ginger and scallions,
shark's fin soup and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce.

Mark Lipton
>

In article .com>,
says...
>
>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 will have no control over how the wine is served in terms of size of
>glasses and how long it will sit out, so 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.
>
>I basically am looking for an inoffensive wine that will be versatile
>and inexpensive--one that the average joe can enjoy and one that won't
>majorly offend the serious wine drinker. I have an attractively priced
>white blend candidate from Fenn Valley winery in Michigan (random
>find!) but am having a hard time with red.
>
>Any suggestions at all for red or white? Or is there another forum or
>board I should ask? Thank you so much in advance.

Sorry to respond so late, but I just saw this post.

If you could bump the white budget up slightly, my recommendation would be
Caymus Conundrum. It is a SB-based wine with Chard, Muscat and Viognier. The
label now reads Conundrum - Caymus has been removed, though it appears that it
is still part of their portfolio. (As an aside, many folk still attribute the
demise of the Caymus name on this wine to the divorce between Chuck Wagner and
his wife, but that seems to be a Napa myth)

For a red, I'm a bit at a loss. I did a tasting with Mark Miller (Coyote
Grille and many others) some years back, and the fare was all Oriental dishes
for several countries and provences, covering most of the spectrum. We tasted
with some of the usual suspects: Riesling, SB, Chard, Beck's Ale, Pinot Noir,
but the hands-down winner (actually #1 with 10 of 12 dishes and #2 on the
others) was Iron Horse Brute Rose sparkling. This would likely be above the
price point, but it was the ultimate winner.

Within the stated budget, I'll look to maybe a domestic Sauvignon Blanc (a bit
more fruit, and not so many herbal elements as with a wonderful NZ SB).

Hunt