The dense fibre in mushrooms make fried Japanese udon with shitake and pork a complete meal. The role of any wine paired with it is to add to and widen the flavour of what is a rich but somewhat flat-tasting dish. Wines that can bring with them a highlight, either with aromatics or fruit perfume, will make for a balanced match. Japanese udon has a hefty, textured background that is extended by the equally resistant shitake and shredded pork. Soy sauce and ginger are often added to link up the base-flavour notes and textures. The following wines have been selected mostly for their lovely, sturdy perfumes.
Shaw & Smith shiraz 2007, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
One of the best wines to come from the beautiful Adelaide Hills, I've recommended this shiraz before with other dishes. It would be easy to say it's all due to the region's terroir but this winery continues to succeed while other brands based there come and go; the winemakers at Shaw & Smith know what they're doing. It's a good match with the dish because the wine's violet and peppercorn-like flavours lift the taste of all the ingredients.
Available for HK$275 at Oliver's (tel: 2810 7710)
Terrazas Afincado malbec 2006, Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes thrive in areas where many other crops would fail and there aren't many vineyards that are planted much higher than Afincado in Argentina's Andes mountains - the grapes are grown at about 1,200 metres above sea level. The result is that they have plenty of time to develop flavours and desirable structure. This lively red can be cellared for years and it's perfect with this dish. The rich fruit fills out the noodle dish by giving it plenty of alternative base notes to build upon.