Wine Companion for MoonCakes (updated)
Although Chinese tea, like Pu Erh, Oolong are traditional drinks to go with mooncakes during the Mid-autumn festival. Wine can offer a surprising partnership when it pairs with mooncakes.
We have selected a few wines as mooncake companions.
- The mouth-watering snow skin mooncakes, often filled with lotus seed, green bean, green tea, or fruit-flavoured pastes, can go well with dessert wines like "Luna Spark" or "Moondance".
Luna Spark is a semi-sweet wine that comes from late picked Semillon grapes. The zesty lemon-honey character with a gentle sparkle of spritz bubbles makes it a refreshing palate cleanser. When the moon is at its fullest, have a sip of the "Luna Spark".
Moondance, on the other hand, is made from very late picked Gewurztraminer grapes. This lighter style of dessert wine is packed with luscious ripe lychee flavours that are synonymous with the variety of Gewurztraminer. "I'll dance with you to the moon and back", a stylish dessert wine for a romantic mid-autumn festival celebration.
- Classic baked mooncakes, usually appear with red-dates or red-bean pastes together with salted egg yolks, are sweet and intensely rich. The Rosalie Joan Verdelho, renowned for its lovely balance of acid and tropical fruit character, renders a refreshing contrast, especially to egg yolks. The ripe passionfruit aroma with hints of freshly picked stone fruit can melt the sweetness, adding a refined finish and leaving your palate ready for more. Domaine Montrose Viognier, with nose and flavours of exotic fruits, mango, cut hay, is an atypical white with good structure & after-mouth lingering. It'll pair well with rich-flavoured traditional mooncakes.
- Sparkling wines, including Champagne Saint Reol Grand Cru and "Blanc de Blancs" from Ernest Hill Wines,are crisp and bubbly. Champagnes, especially those with blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are surprisingly good at matching food of all types, not to mention the sweet-flavoured pastries.
- We also love French rosé. Both Rose Mont Rose and 1701 are crispy, mineral with structured body yet full of fresh fruity aroma. They have more acidity than the typical Provence rosé ( a subtle difference between Languedoc and Provence rosé. ). A more mouthwatering rosé that won't go wrong with most of our diets.
- The serving temperature of various wines can be referred in below guideline:
Chill the wines accordingly to make the best wine & mooncake pairing.
At the Mid-autumn festival, raise the glass, have a toast to the coming full moon and enjoy the time with your family & friends.
Bon Appetit!