Dim sum is a luxurious way to dine. The small morsels land on your table at a leisurely pace. And there are literally hundreds of types, limited only by the creator's imagination. Steamed dim sum is usually the most varied, ranging from staples such as har gau and siu mai to chicken feet with black beans, tripe with black pepper, mushrooms stuffed with minced pork and pig's intestines with ginger. With the diversity of flavours, the best wine to serve with steamed dim sum should offer a medium range of richness and plenty of fruit purity. Oaked wines with this food are unsuitable. Wine with some fresh acidity is a handy flavour backbone for such a large and varied range of saltiness and even spiciness.
Quartz Reef Pinot Gris 2007, Central Otago, New Zealand
Pinot gris is New Zealand's next sauvignon blanc - it will take the world by storm, especially China, where the wines from many sub-regions and producers are perfectly matched to our food. This pinot gris is rich and heady, with lovely white pear and jasmine notes. There is plenty of flavour and freshness to happily match with har gau, but can extend to the succulent steamed char siu bao as well. It has a deliciously balanced taste that leaves your palate fresh and ready for the next mouthful.
Available for HK$168 from Watson's Wine Cellars (tel: 2813 0173)
De Martino Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Maipo Valley, Chile
Don't buy this wine just because it's organic - it's a stunningly great value-for-money wine in any category. It has tones of lively sauvignon fruit and guava and peach as well. It finishes dry and has a good backbone of acidity for a large range of steamed dim sum, including cheung fun (rice flour rolls) and tripe with ginger.