Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao chicken balances dried-chilli heat and numbing Sichuan pepper against a sweet-sour-savoury sauce and crunchy peanuts, so the wine must tame the heat, match the sweet-sour with acidity and stay low in alcohol. An off-dry, high-acid white is the answer. Avoid high-alcohol and tannic reds.

Pairs Perfectly

A Torrontés, Salta, Argentina. Floral and softly off-dry, it cushions the chilli and meets the sweet-sour sauce, and it costs very little.

Pairs Well

A Cava, Penedès, Spain. Bubbles disperse the heat while the lean acidity handles the vinegar-and-sugar sauce.

An off-dry Riesling, Mosel Spätlese, Germany. Low in alcohol with a touch of sweetness, it soothes the spice and lifts the dish.

Avoid

High-alcohol and tannic reds, which intensify the chilli burn.

Failing That

A Prosecco, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Italy.

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