In honor of the Chinese New Year this Thursday, foodies around the world are planning Asian-themed dinner party menus for the weekend.

But what is the best type of wine to serve with Peking duck, spring rolls or steamed dumplings?

DON’T MISS: CHINA LOVES RED WINE

Finding the perfect wines to serve with Asian cuisine is often a difficult task, especially in the case of spicy dishes, which have a tendency to overpower the delicate flavors of a fine vintage.

So if you plan to ring in the Year of the Goat with a handful of hot chilies, lager may be your best bet in the beverage department.

Luckily for wine lovers, not all dishes from the Far East are heavy on the capsicum. For these subtler recipes, rosé wines tend to provide a one-size-fits-all solution, but there are alternatives as well.

Caramel pork and other sweet and savory dishes

To complement the sweet and savory combinations often found in Asian cuisines, nothing beats a sweet or semi-sweet white wine.

That said, wines such as Sauternes with a particularly high sugar concentration are best avoided. Opt instead for a sweet white wine with a hint of acidity, such as those from the Jurançon region, the Coteaux du Layon or the late harvested wines of Alsace.

Spring rolls and other fried dishes

It’s hard to turn down these crispy treats, fattening though they may be. To cut through the grease, serve a red wine with fruity notes. Those from the Beaujolais or the Loire region fit the bill.

Steamed dumplings

Depending on the filling (chicken, vegetables, shrimp), dumplings may go down nicely with a variety of different wines.

At any rate, if you plan on dipping in hot sauce, avoid red wines that are high in tannins, which tend to accentuate spiciness. Here again, a lighter red wine such as a Beaujolais is an excellent choice.

Peking duck

It’s no surprise that this is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in France, since it pairs so nicely with the tannic red wines the French are so fond of. The delicate flavors of the duck meat and the crispy, fatty skin are best complemented by red wines with spiced notes, such as those from Provence or Le Corbières in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

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