Perfect match
The Chinese are masters at preserving seasonal ingredients from the land and sea for use throughout the year and at using them in the most delicious way. There are many grades of dried shrimp and although they're salted (to help in the preservation) the flavour is rich, fresh-tasting and well rounded, giving a savoury tang to whatever neutral-tasting ingredients they're cooked with. When added to vermicelli noodles cooked in a clay pot, the bland starch soaks up the shrimps' richness. The vermicelli's stodginess makes the dish comforting but it still manages to be light and fresh. The hot pot needs a wine that can penetrate without aggression; it should be a wine that cleanses the palate.
Vesevo Greco di Tufo 2007, Campania, Italy
The greco grape is one of many delicious gems hiding in Old World wine-growing countries and probably unknown to the chardonnay/sauvignon blanc white wine-drinking generation. Greco gives nuttier, more almondy tones than fruity sauvignon blanc but it is this savoury note that makes this wine the perfect match with dried shrimp and vermicelli hot pot. The wine's nutty freshness supports the ocean tang of the shrimp while expanding the width and dimension of the combination. The wine also steers the direction of the vermicelli's rich and gingery tones. A delicious wine with any seafood, fresh or dried, its intensity matches that of the dried shrimp and vermicelli. It's a delicious match. Available for HK$155 from Castello del Vino (tel: 2866 0587)
Clos du Val Chardonnay 2006, Napa Valley, California
White wines of California can be classed into two broad categories: the vineyards that were planted and producing wines when their output was geared to the world of international consumers, and places that were established much later - in the 1990s - when they directed their appeal to the domestic US market. The former, which includes this Clos du Val and other wineries such as Joseph Phelps, produce delicious classics, while the latter are finding their market shrinking, with few outside the US ready to try what is an intrinsically American cultural taste. The Clos du Val chardonnay is a delicious match with dried shrimp with vermicelli. It gives the shrimp a perfect platform to show off its fresh taste while the creamy texture links up with the weight of the vermicelli. Available for HK$290 from Sinolink (tel: 2408 9338)
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Marlborough New Zealand
I've mentioned this wine many times in past columns because it's so versatile. The pure, complex wine is a perfect match with this dish because it shamelessly, and a little bullishly, steers and directs the flexible flavours. Its freshness, coupled with the minerally fruit and liveliness, gives the partnership a delicious edge. Available for HK$278 from Moet Hennessy Diageo (tel: 2976 1888)
