Braised eight treasures duck is a dish that demonstrates the skill, imagination and complexity of Chinese cuisine. The humble duck is anything but humble in this preparation; the luscious bird is transformed into a vast, multitextured canvas of flavours. Each of the ingredients in the stuffing lends a unique aspect that not only meshes with the dish, but extends it as well. The long braising time renders out the duck fat, which is then soaked up by the stuffing. Thus, the best wine to pair with this delicious dish needs to have a lot going for it - this is not the time to serve something light and pretty. Tenuta Trerose Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2004, Tuscany, Italy Tasting this 2004 Tuscan wine should be compulsory for wine lovers. It comes after a succession of mediocre vintages in 2000, when Tuscan winemakers were getting a little heavy handed with their grapes. This philosophy matched well for the relatively gentle Vino Nobile. It's stunning value - and best to stock up now because no one knows when a great vintage will come along again. Available for HK$230 from Valdivia (tel: 2555 7431) Tignanello 2005, Tuscany, Italy This is the wine that started the 'super Tuscan' craze. It may well be my imagination or fading memory, but Tignanello has, in general, become much softer and easier to taste than bottles from the early days. Nevertheless, this vintage still has plenty of ripe fruit to age for another 15 or more years. It's the perfect match with the robust eight treasures duck. The savoury and ripe berry-like sangiovese in the Tignanello keenly supports the duck's richness and the varied textures of the stuffing. The warming brown notes of the wine and duck form a hearty combination. Available for HK$738 from Maxxium (tel: 2845 5995) Sadie Family Columella 2004, Swartland, South Africa South Africa's foremost wine expert, Michael Fridjhon, disagrees with my assessment that this is South Africa's best Rhone-style red. Well, that leaves a few more bottles for me then. It was made with super-old, neglected vines that were given a helping hand to straighten them up then left largely to nature and voila! There's Columella. It has deep earth and spicy tones, with plenty of berries and fine, grainy tannins which makes it delicious and sophisticated now, but it can also age until your patience runs out. It's the perfect match with eight treasures duck - except when Michael Fridjhon is around. Available for HK$730 from Altaya (tel: 2523 1945)