Perfect match
Salted fish is prepared in many countries as a way of preserving the sea's bountiful catch. Salting dehydrates the fish, concentrating its flavour. While the initial taste is salty, subsequent mouthfuls reveal sweet and fresh flavours. In Chinese cuisine, salted fish is usually paired with sliced or minced pork. The best wines to go with this combination need to respect the succulence of the fish; wines with low fruit focus and excess unfermented sugars will be slain by the intensity of the salted fish.
Meadowbank Riesling 2005, Tasmania, Australia
Tasmania remains Australia's best-kept secret. It has fine seafood and spectacular landscape. The climate is a few degrees cooler than on the mainland, a result of the Antarctic breeze. The 'apple isle' is famed for a range of cool-climate wines: riesling, pinot noir and wonderful alternatives to champagne. This Meadowbank riesling is pure and focused with plenty of deep, concentrated fragrant fruit. It's a perfect match with salted fish and steamed minced pork. The wine's fruit richness massages the fish's texture and the defined and focused lively fruit lifts the combination. HK$210 from Kedington (tel: 2898 9323)
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand
This is by no means the only New Zealand sauvignon blanc, but it remains one of the best after more than 20 vintages. I conduct professional blind tastings every year of various Marlborough sauvignon blancs, and this one always rates highly. The wine is immensely complex, a result of mixing ripe grapes from six or more vineyards. If the fruit quality is there, the wine practically makes itself. The 2007 vintage was made from plentiful top-quality grapes. It's denser than the years before and has a broader flavour spectrum. It complements salted fish and steamed pork well. The sweetness of the meat combines with the complex sauvignon blanc fruit and there is plenty of flavour richness from both the wine and the salted fish. The wine's crisp acidity gives the rich salted fish new focus. HK$298 from Moet Hennessy Diageo (tel: 2976 1888)
Grant Burge Barossa Vines Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Bordeaux was the first wine region to blend silky semillon grapes commercially with racy, aromatic sauvignon blanc. This Barossa Valley version has won a number of Winpac awards in years gone by. It's a classy blend with tonnes of honest tasty grape flavours. It is rich and full, and matches steamed pork and salted fish perfectly. The honey-like semillon fruit gives the wine a rich base platform for the perfumed sauvignon to add top notes. HK$105 from Kedington (tel: 2898 9323)
