Bao buns

Bao buns

Assuming soft steamed buns filled with braised pork belly, hoisin sauce, pickled cucumber, crushed peanuts and coriander.

Bao buns combine fatty, sticky pork belly with sweet hoisin and sharp pickles in a soft, sweetish bun. The wine needs high acidity to cut the fat, a touch of fruit or sweetness to match the hoisin, and little tannin, which would clash with the sweet sauce. Big, oaky, high alcohol reds overwhelm it.

Pairs Perfectly. Chenin Blanc, off dry, Vouvray, Loire, France. Apple, quince and honey with a touch of sweetness on high acidity, which cuts the pork belly and meets the hoisin. For a fully dry glass, the Navarra rosado below is the one.

Pairs Well. Rosado de Navarra, a darker rosé, Spain. Garnacha with ripe strawberry and a little grip, dry and full enough for sticky pork, and easy on the pocket.

Pairs Well. An orange wine, preferably a skin contact Pinot Gris from Friuli, Italy, for example a Damijan Podversic or a Dario Princic. Its copper colour, gentle tannin and dried fruit notes suit fatty pork with a sweet sauce.

Worth Seeking Out

Kerner from Alto Adige, Italy, off dry. Peach, herbs and a hint of sweetness on high acidity, a mountain white that suits hoisin and pickles.

Avoid

Big, oaky, tannic reds. Tannin clashes with hoisin and oak makes the fat feel heavier.

Failing That

A Riesling, New Zealand, off dry.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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