We said it once, and we will say it again: wine makes everything better, even cuisines you wouldn’t normally enjoy it with. We’re in the habit of pairing wine with cheese, pasta, steak, and Western cuisine—but as a natural wine store proudly based in the Philippines, we’ve found that wine can be a fantastic match with Asian cuisines.

We’ve shown you how to pair wine with Korean and Filipino food (even Noche Buena staples)—even how to pair Champagne with dishes across Asia. This time, we’re diving into sommelier-approved wine pairings with Chinese dishes by (Super)Natural’s resident wine expert and general manager Chie Gaerlan!

Mapo Tofu

Numbingly spicy and hardcore umami, mapo tofu is the poster kid of Sichuan cuisine for very good reason. Made from silken tofu, minced beef, fermented bean paste, and a generous portion of roasted chilis, it’s a dish that delivers bite after bite of addicting heat—though how much it burns of course depends on who makes it, of course.

“As soon as a dish is spicy, you need a wine with some sweetness or some residual sugar to help put out the fire,” says Chie. “Mapo tofu can also be a bit greasy, so a wine with lots of acidity with that sugar is good. I’d recommend an aromatic white with some residual sugar or even a sparkling, off-dry rose.”

Must-try wines to pair with Mapo Tofu: Patrick Bouju Picapol 2020 and Gut Oggau Maskerade Rosé

Hakaw

When it comes to dimsum, hakaw is as classic as you can get. This Cantonese dumpling is a staple on any menu, and done right, you get a bite of tender, juicy whole shrimps wrapped up in a famously delicate, translucent, and lightly chewy wrapper. 

“When you have flavors as light and fresh as in hakaw, the last thing you want is to overpower it,” Chie advises. “So you would want to avoid something too strong, too aromatic, or too acidic. You are looking for a wine with just enough crispness and minerality to really highlight these clean flavors.”

Must-try wine to pair with Hakaw: Aristotelis ke Anthoula White-ish 2023 and Matassa Blanc 2022

Radish Cake

Another dimsum staple, radish cake (or turnip cake, depending on who you ask) is a savory cake made of shredded radish, rice flour, dried shrimp, and mushrooms. It’s steamed, then pan-fried, giving you an addicting soft-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside texture that makes it a hit. But perhaps more than its umami and texture, what’s most unique about it is that it doesn't shy away from that distinctive pungent flavor radish is known for.

“Radish cakes can sometimes have a bit of funkiness, which is something we definitely know how to enjoy with natural wine,” Chie says. “When you’re pairing wine with food, you either want to compliment or contrast. For the former, I’d go for an orange or skin contact wine because many will have a similar funk, as well as some spice notes and good acidity to go with it.”

Must-try wines to pair with Radish Cake: O2Y Fidji Maceration 2021 and Dario Princic Jakot 2017

Oyster Cake or Oyster Omelette

It’s not a roundup of Chinese food in the Philippines without some Fukien representation, and oyster cakes are definitely one of our favorite examples. You’ve got lots of briny oysters, bean sprouts, and green onions all pan-fried in a batter of tapioca starch with eggs—which spells a taste of the sea with lots of texture.

For this, Chie recommends embracing it with a wine that takes you to the ocean. “A beachy wine with lots of minerality, zestiness, and tropical flavors is a hit with oysters, especially when it has the acidity to cut through the heavy batter. You definitely won’t go wrong with Mediterranean varieties like Verdejo and Friulano.” 

Must-try wines to pair with Oyster Pancake: Microbio White 2020 and Radikon Vino Bianco Venezia Giulia IGT Slatnik 2021

Cantonese Roast Pork Belly

Crispy and succulent, it’s difficult to say no to a slice of classic Cantonese pork belly once you’ve tried even one bite of delectably tender, perfectly spiced meat with addictingly crunchy skin that shatters on impact. But more than saying no, you’d be even harder-pressed to think of a way to improve it—in which case a hit wine pairing might be the answer.

“Fatty pork just goes so well with anything fruity, especially when it tastes like cherries, raspberries, and strawberries,” explains Chie. “For Cantonese pork belly, you also want a lot of acidity so you can cut through all that richness, cleanse your palate, and come back for more. For me, that just screams ‘pet nat rosé.’”

Must-try wines to pair with Lechon Macao: Vinyes Tortuga Juicy 2021 and Judith Beck Bambule! Pet Nat P 2022

Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots

When we think of Chinese food, our mind often goes to heavier dishes that are fried, roasted, or glistening with oils and juices. However, that’d be a discredit to how much of Chinese cuisine is about an ah-ma telling you “it’s healthy, eat it!” One such example is a traditional white fish steamed to silky perfection with soy sauce, ginger, spring onions, cilantro, some optional chilis, and, if you’re lucky, a drizzle of hot oil that gives all these flavors an extra zing.

“This is definitely something I usually enjoy with something sparkling—even beer,” says Chie. “You want to go light so you don’t overpower the fish, especially if it’s white, but still have a good amount of acidity to refresh the palate with that oil. For that, a Cremant definitely does the trick.”

Must-try wine to pair with Cantonese Steamed Fish: Jean-Francois Ganevat “La Combe Rotalier” Cremant du Jura NV

Peking Duck 

Easily one of the most celebrated dishes to ever come out of China is Peking Duck—served first in razor-thin slices of glistening crispy skin and succulent meat with small pancakes with scallions, cucumber, and plum sauce, before going into other ways like soup or a minced duck stir-fry in a lettuce wrap. A dish as special as reason enough to mark an occasion with a good bottle of wine.

“The classic pairing for duck in France is Pinot Noir, so why not for this too?” explains Chie. “The first way of serving it with pancakes definitely needs a lighter red with some gaminess to compliment the duck. If you’re eating the minced version in lettuce, though, you could actually go with an orange wine, which has plenty of spice notes, as well as some tannin and grip without the heaviness of a red.”

Must-try wines to pair with Peking Duck: Pierre Frick Pinot Noir Fischbach 2021, Christian Tschida Kapitel I 2019 and Dario Princic Ribolla Gialla 2017

Where to buy natural wine in Metro Manila

Whether it’s spicy mapo tofu or succulent Peking duck, we’ve found that many of our favorite wine pairings with Chinese food have been with natural wines—some of the food-friendliest vino you’ll find around, in our opinion. If you’ve not tried it yourself, there’s no better place to shop natural wine in Metro Manila than our online wine store (Super)Natural, where we bring in cult-favorite bottles from beloved winemakers and rising stars from all over the world. We have your usual red wine, white wine, and sparkling, we also have very approachable rosés and orange wines that are a hit on any occasion.

Shop now at (Super)Natural to try it yourself! And pro tip: you can get P500 off your first purchase when you sign up to our newsletter at the footer of this webpage (wink).