Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

I am an avid wine lover, and the wines of Côtes du Rhône region are some of my favourites; we love them in the summer in particular, as the reds are lighter and fruitier than the heavier Bordeaux and Burgundy wines. So, when Rhone Wines contacted me to ask if I would like to taste some as part of a Chinese Takeaway wine and food pairing,  I was both fascinated and happy to accept the challenge. I was fascinated to try these wines with Chinese food, as I usually have a Tiger beer with my takeaway meals and I was interested to see how some classic French wines would hold up when paired with my favourite takeaway choices of Beef in Black Bean Sauce, Egg Fried Rice, Spring Rolls, Prawn Crackers and Crispy Shredded Duck Pancakes.

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

I was sent two bottles of wine, a bottle of white,  St-Maurice CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE Villages Blanc de Rouville (£12:50 from the Wine Society) and a bottle of red, La Chasse Cotes du Rhone Reserve (£7:89 from Booths). The vineyards of the Rhone Valley, which forms a corridor between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, have been producing wines for at least 2000 years and  the Rhone Valley extends over six French départements. The region draws its strength from this rich and powerful river, which shapes its landscape and moulds its character. The La Chasse Cotes du Rhone Reserve, which is a light and fruity red wine, was enjoyed with the Crispy Shredded Duck Pancakes and the Beef in Black Bean Sauce, whilst the white wine, St-Maurice CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE Villages Blanc de Rouville, was a perfect aperitif wine and went extremely well with the prawn crackers and egg fried rice, and was refreshingly  light and zingy with citrus notes, which cut through the richness of the Chinese food.

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

Although we did use plates and some bowls for our takeaway, I rather liked the table setting with the foil containers and it also saved on washing up too! My favourite dish was the crispy shredded duck pancakes and all the trimmings that go with them, such as the cucumber, spring onions and plum sauce which are all wrapped up in the hot pancakes with crispy shredded duck; the La Chasse Cotes du Rhone Reserve made for an aromatic and perfect match and before we knew it, the bottle had all gone! It also married extremely well with the beef  in black bean sauce too, and had there been any wine left, I know that this wine is a winning match for cheese.

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

As I mentioned, we started off the evening with aperitifs of prawn crackers and a glass of St-Maurice CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE Villages Blanc de Rouville; this wine also made the perfect accompaniment for the vegetarian spring rolls too, and I suspect had there been fresh lychees available, or any fresh fruit, this would have been the perfect partner. The whole evening was fun and the fact that I had the night off from cooking added to the taste explosion of the wine and Chinese food pairings…..if you have never considered opening a bottle of wine to accompany your Chinese takeaway, you should try it, as we all enjoyed the refreshingly complex flavours of the wine with the Chinese dishes we ordered. The takeaway was ordered from a favourite local restaurant of ours and as it’s still Chinese New Year until tomorrow, the 15th February, they slipped in some extra prawn crackers and some soy sauce for us!  With thanks to Rhone Wines for sending me the wine and for setting the challenge, I shall be having wine more often with my Chinese takeaway meals from now on! Karen 

Disclaimer: I was sent two bottle of wine to take part in the Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food challenge, and all views and opinions are my own. 

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food

Pairing Côtes du Rhône Wines with Chinese Takeaway Food