Chinese five-spice — flavouring profile

Chinese five-spice is led by anise, not warmth — star anise and fennel set its sweet, liquorice-like signature, with clove, cassia and the tingling Sichuan pepper behind — and because it seasons fatty, lacquered pork and duck in sweet-savoury soy glazes, it wants a fruity, supple wine with the acid to cut the richness.

The compounds that matter. The defining note is anethole, the sweet-anise compound shared by star anise and fennel, the largest voice in the blend. Around it sit eugenol and cinnamaldehyde from clove and cassia for warmth, and sanshool from Sichuan pepper, which brings a light tingling rather than true heat. The blend is sweet-savoury and aromatic, and it almost always seasons rich meat — red-braised pork, char siu, roast duck, master-stock dishes — finished with soy and sugar. So the pairing is shaped by fat, a sweet-savoury glaze and umami as much as by the anise itself, and that points away from tannin and toward fruit and acid.

What it demands of a wine. Bright acid to cut the fat and the sticky glaze, and ripe, generous fruit to meet the sweet-savoury edge. Low to moderate, supple tannin: the soy and umami make firm tannin taste hard and metallic, so structured reds are the wrong call. A little of the wine's own anise, spice or red-fruit lift mirrors the blend. Where the glaze is sweetest, a touch of residual sugar in the wine keeps it in balance; keep alcohol moderate and oak light.

Seek. Fruity, low-tannin reds lead. A red-fruited, savoury Pinot Noir is the classic match for five-spice duck and red-braised pork, its acid cutting the fat and its lack of hard tannin sitting easily with the soy. A fresh, juicy Gamay does the same for lighter roast meats. For the sweet, lacquered glaze of char siu, a ripe, sweet-spiced red flatters the honey-and-soy directly, and an off-dry aromatic white is a fine alternative wherever the glaze turns very sweet.

Avoid. Firm, high-tannin reds, which the soy and umami turn hard and metallic. Heavily oaked wines, whose vanilla collides with the anise. High-alcohol wines, which overwhelm a dish built on balance rather than power.

Three to reach for. Pinot Noir (Burgundy or New World); Cru Beaujolais (Gamay); Zinfandel (California).