The world of wine may appear to be confusing and complex, but it doesn’t have to be! The more you delve into the complexities of each wine variety, this liquid world becomes enchanting with possibilities of how to pair your food with the best wine.
For your next visit to a wine bar in Hong Kong or enjoy fine-dining in the city, prepare yourself by reading this guide to ensure you know what wine will best suit your palate.
Essential types of wine you should know
1. Chardonnay
A dry white table wine, Chardonnay is one of the world’s most common and popular white wines carrying moderate acidity with fruity flavours. It is primarily sourced from single-variety grapes found in the Champagne region of France, which brings the wine a singular flavour profile.
Pair with: meaty fish, shellfish, cheese
Taste: lemon, apple, pear
2. Cabernet Sauvignon
Typically ranked alongside its cousin-like competitor merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon is a robust and earthy-tasting red wine that is typically made with multiple grape varieties to enhance the robustness of each production. It is often aged longer than other red wines, reaching higher pricepoints.
Pair with: steaks, lamb chops, tomato-based cuisine
Taste: blackcurrant, cedar, graphite
3. Merlot
Merlot is made with black Merlot grapes farmed in the Bordeaux region of France. It is a dry wine with greater tannin levels than other red wines, which brings bold and dark flavours to the palate. This wine variety suits bolder Asian cuisines or similarly central European cuisines with a focus on salt.
Pair with: prosciutto, roasted meats, salty cuisine
Taste: mocha, chocolate, and vanilla
4. Riesling
Known for its sweetness as a common dessert wine or aperitif-like drink, Riesling is made with ripe grapes to evoke sweet aromas and flavours for the bottle. Germany’s Rhine River is the birthplace of the wine variety, with other wine-making regions worldwide producing it.
Pair with: root vegetables, porky meats, fish
Taste: apricot, honey, pear
5. Champagne
Champagne ranks as one of the most recognisable and beloved wines across the world. Farmed exclusively in the Champagne region of France, the wine is still made in a traditional method, fermenting the grapes first before bottling the wine to engender a strong piquant flavour.
Pair with: caviar, cheese, nuts
Taste: almonds, green apple, lemon
6. Pinot grigio
The Pinot Grigio grape variety has roots in the Middle Ages in France’s Burgundy region, now planted throughout Eastern Europe, France, Italy, Germany, and California. It is a widely popular wine offering zesty and fresh pours.
Pair with: salads, roasted chicken, shellfish
Taste: apple, cinnamon, peach
7. Pinot noir
Pinot Noir is a widely popular red wine worldwide, made from black-skinned grapes sourced from cool wine-making regions like New Zealand, west coast U.S., and Burgundy, France. It is lighter than other red wines, suitable for sipping with food or without.
Pair with: meat, tropical fruits, fresh fish
Taste: vanilla, cherry, chocolate
8. Shiraz
Also known as Syrah in some parts of the world, Shiraz is a dark red wine grape variety grown in France and the west coast of the U.S. Its bluish-back colour holds depth with each taste, evoking a stronger aftertaste than other red wines produced in Europe.
Pair with: roast beef, burgers, earthy mushrooms
Taste: red berries, chocolate, coffee
9. Zinfandel
With origins in Croatia, Zinfandel is typically produced in the nation plus southern Italy and California. Carrying a higher sugar content than other red wines, the wine variety carries strong sugary and berry flavours. The grapes used to produce the wine are immature which leads to a pour with low tannin structure.
Pair with: burgers, curries, smoked cheese
Taste: blackcurrant, strawberry, cinnamon
10. Muscat
Covering the whole gamut of white, red, and black grapes, Muscat wine is typically grown in warmer wine-making regions. Popular grape varieties of the Muscat family include French fortified wines and Italian sparkling wines. Muscat grapes have a lengthy history, dating in production to ancient Egypt.
Pair with: cheesecake, smelly cheeses, oysters
Taste: hazelnuts, dried apricot, cinnamon
11. Prosecco
A more affordable offering to its expensive sibling Champagne, Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine produced in the northern regions of the country. The wine is fermented in steel tanks, before being added to pressurized tanks to add bubbles, lending to a clean pour and drink.
Pair with: pasta, salmon, sweet desserts
Taste: apple, lemon, pears
12. Cava
Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine produced in the same manner as Champagne but using a blend of grapes farmed in Catalonia, Spain, including Xarel·lo, Macabeo and Parellada. The variety is a light to medium bodied, known as an Old World wine for its lengthy history of production.
Pair with: cheese, tropical fruit, shellfish
Taste: apple, lime, pineapple
