Chinese fascination for red Bordeaux appears from the outside to be at odds with the various regional cuisines we eat regularly, especially with the delicate flavours of Cantonese food. However, looking at the circumstances in which wine became popular and given our dining culture, the popularity of red Bordeaux with Chinese cuisines, even Cantonese, makes sense.
One of the key factors that popularised wine in the mid-1990s was the connection between red wine and health. In Chinese dining culture, it is no secret that nearly all the most sought-after and expensive ingredients have purported health benefits. The concept of consuming food like medicine, with each ingredient possessing yin and yang properties that have cooling and healing effects, is centuries old and well documented.
Why are we willing to pay several hundred dollars to well over a thousand dollars to eat bird's nest, shark's fin or sea cucumber if not for their health-enhancing benefits? I admit, I have acquired a liking for the velvety, gelatinous texture of sea cucumber and the soft crinkly texture of bird's nest. Without ever looking for concrete medical evidence, I have accepted and consumed these delicacies - bird's nest for my skin and general health, and sea cucumber as immunity against ailments that emerge during cold weather.
From as far back as I can remember, every few years I was given a bitter, dark, muddy coloured brew to drink three times a day for two weeks to keep my health in check. This was courtesy of my mother, who bought the ingredients from doctors of Korean medicine. They no doubt made a fortune formulating the most foul-tasting herbal brews.
When I was young, I held my nose before swallowing it in three to four big gulps. A candy would be my treat to cleanse the bitter, strong herbal taste from my mouth. 'If it tastes good, it isn't good for you,' my mother would scold. She had clever ways of getting me to eat ginseng - deep fried like tempura served with a sweet soy sauce dip, candied ginseng, honey-ginseng tea and marinated ginseng with chilli and other spices.
Perhaps my personal example is a bit extreme, but many Korean, Chinese and Japanese mothers from my mother's generation emphasised health-enhancing properties of food and we were brought up to appreciate it, making it a subconscious, sometimes conscious part of our psyche. Our tolerance for tannins is obvious - in our unadulterated teas we consume throughout the day (now being replaced by coffee) and our penchant for bitter root vegetables and familiarity with strong herbal medicines.
The tannins in red wines, especially young red Bordeaux, are not out of line with the flavours we grew up with in Asia. Red wines also enjoy the fundamental preference in our culture for room temperature or warm beverages versus cold/chilled beverages (white and sparkling wine). In addition, with Bordeaux red positioned as the premium, trendy lifestyle beverage of choice, it is now the de facto choice at weddings, special occasions, business banquets and dinners at most fine dining venues. It helps that the colour is red.