For soups, you can go white wines and go rich. Hot and sour, won ton, spicy ginger.

Not surprisingly, whites worked better than the reds. The sweet German riesling that I pulled from my cellar easily handled the hot and sour, its sweetness acting as the ideal foil to the heat of the chilies. It received a thumbs-up from everyone, including our German guest May’Britt, who confided in me earlier that she hates German wine. Hah! Another convert.

But the real surprise was that the wine that worked best with all three soups was a Californian chardonnay: high alcohol, loads of oak and so buttery that we nicknamed it “the fatty.” A wine that I figured would be a write-off wins round one.

Dumplings with peanut butter sauce and spring rolls: rich whites, fresh and fruity reds

Whether the richness came from the peanut-butter sauce served with the dumplings or the oil that cooked the spring rolls, the best wines were the same. Again, the German riesling, with its sweetness and acidity proved to match the richness while providing enough acidity to refresh. Our gewurztraminer wasn’t totally out of place, though it was a touch too aromatic. “Fatty,” again, was surprisingly good.

And for the reds, our Beaujolais, a Moulin à Vent, was exceptional with the dumplings, and good with the spring rolls. Delicate flavours, not too rich and a great acidity seemed to contrast nicely, without overpowering the plates. All the other reds proved too powerful.

Those little spare ribs: dry and spicy whites, fresh and fruity reds

Just mention Chinese food to me, and these little meat candies come to mind. Glazed with honey, the sweetness dominates the palate. All the wines that had any sweetness, including my beloved German riesling and the New World reds, were simply gross.

What we began to notice was that when a wine didn’t work, it really didn’t work. I asked Lesley to send me her impressions of the evening afterward, and she hit the nail on the head when she wrote, “It’s interesting how a wine that is ill-suited to a French dish can still be enjoyed, whereas a poorly chosen wine with Chinese food clashes terribly.”

By Bill Zachariw. Read the entire food article.