Even though it's served piping hot, winter melon soup is a popular summer dish with the Chinese, who believe it has cooling properties. The subtle taste of the melon is hard to describe: hints of nuttiness, citrus and a sweet richness. The flavours of the soup itself are more tangible, thanks to the so-called supreme broth used to make it. This is made from an old boiler chicken with other ingredients such as dried shrimp and perhaps even dried scallops. The broth is simmered with crunchy vegetables, dried shiitake mushrooms, ham and other finely diced ingredients which add texture to the pure and complex flavour. The best wine to go with this soup shouldn't be served too cold and it needs to taste pure, with some savoury notes.
Champagne, Salon 1995, Champagne, France
Wow! What a wine. This Salon is layered, rich and fresh. It comes from one of the best vintages of the past two decades. As with Krug, it's aged for an uneconomical eight years before we taste it. It's as pure and ethereal as top winter melon soup. The subtle, caressing bubbles prepare the palate for each mouthful of soup. The complex and gentle flavours extend the richness of the already complete winter melon soup. Taste and marvel.
Available for $2,280 from Altaya Wines (tel: 2523 1945)
Semillon, Moss Wood 2003, Margaret River, Western Australia
It's a little known fact that young, cool-climate semillon can taste much like sauvignon blanc, but with more weight. This wine is only slightly wooded, which adds richness and palate weight. The aromatics are herbaceous and fragrant, and the palate is full and satisfying. The biggest attribute of the Moss Wood in the winter melon soup combination is that it has plenty of cool-climate natural acidity, bringing excellent balance to the savouriness of the soup. Serve it just chilled and see the excellent flavour link. Then serve it colder with boiled prawns and even steamed garoupa. If you don't mind waiting, the Moss Wood can age for another 10 years.