Chinese Wine with Italian and European Food: The Unexpected Pairings

Most people who try a Chinese wine for the first time do it in a Chinese restaurant. It makes sense, but it misses the point. The best way to understand a new wine is to drink it with the food you know best. And the food Europe knows best is its own: pizza on Friday night, pasta on Sunday, a steak with friends, a cheese board at the end of the meal.

Good news: Chinese wine feels at home there. Here is why, and what to open.

Why it works

China's wine grapes are European by birth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot come from Bordeaux. Marselan was created in 1961 on the Mediterranean coast of France, from Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache: it literally has Mediterranean DNA. Petit Manseng comes from Jurançon, at the foot of the Pyrenees, where it has been served with rich local cuisine for centuries.

Grown under the intense sunshine of China's high deserts, these grapes produce wines with ripe fruit, fresh acidity and, in the best cases, smooth tannins. In practice, you can treat a Chinese red like a sunny, fruit-forward Mediterranean red. Everything you already know about pairing still works.

Italy

Pizza Margherita

Marselan. Its bright red fruit and soft tannins love tomato, and its fresh acidity cuts through mozzarella. The most natural East-West pairing there is.

Pasta al pomodoro, amatriciana, arrabbiata

Marselan or Cabernet Gernischt. Tomato needs acidity; the herbal, peppery notes of Cabernet Gernischt play beautifully with guanciale and chilli.

Lasagne and tagliatelle al ragù

A Ningxia red blend, Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot or Marselan. Slow-cooked meat sauce wants a wine with body and ripe fruit.

Pasta alla carbonara

A Chardonnay with a little oak, or a Chinese sparkling wine. Richness needs freshness, and bubbles clean the palate after every forkful of egg and pecorino.

Trofie al pesto

A dry Riesling. Basil and pine nuts want a crisp, aromatic white.

Risotto ai funghi porcini

Merlot. Mushrooms are full of umami, which makes strong tannins taste bitter: the soft, round fruit of Merlot is the answer.

Bistecca alla fiorentina

A structured Ningxia Cabernet Sauvignon. The same logic as with Tuscan Cabernet blends: grilled beef, a crust of salt, and a wine with tannins to match.

Parmigiano Reggiano 30 months

A mature Cabernet blend from Ningxia or Yunnan. Aged cheese and aged red: a classic.

Gorgonzola

A sweet Petit Manseng or a Chinese ice wine. Salt and blue mould meet honeyed sweetness, the same principle as Sauternes with Roquefort.

Panettone

A Vidal ice wine from north-east China. Candied fruit and raisins meet apricot, honey and bright acidity. A Christmas pairing to surprise your guests.

France

• Coq au vin: Merlot, soft and fruity like the sauce.
• Roquefort or foie gras: sweet Petit Manseng. The grape comes home to the south-west of France.
• Steak frites: Ningxia Cabernet Sauvignon.

Spain

• Paella: a Chinese rosé or a Chardonnay without oak.
• Jamón ibérico and tapas: Chinese sparkling wine, the ultimate aperitif.
• Lamb chops with rosemary: Marselan, with its Mediterranean soul.

Central Europe

• Wiener Schnitzel: a dry Riesling. Fried, golden and lemony, it needs crisp acidity.
• Sausages and sauerkraut: an off-dry Riesling or a Petit Manseng.

Britain

• Sunday roast lamb: a Cabernet Sauvignon from Ningxia, a region itself famous for its lamb.
• Fish and chips: sparkling wine. Bubbles and batter are old friends.

Try it tonight

Here is a simple experiment. Next time you make pizza or pasta al pomodoro, open a bottle of Marselan next to the red you usually drink. Taste them side by side. You may be surprised to find that the wine from the other end of the Silk Road feels like it has always belonged on your table.

In one sentence

Chinese wine was born from European grapes: drink it like a sunny Mediterranean red, with pizza, pasta, steak and cheese, and let it surprise you at home.