Star anise — flavouring profile

Pure, intense anise — star anise is anethole at full volume, the backbone of red-braised pork and pho, and it pulls a wine toward sweet spice and away from hard tannin.

The compounds that matter. The dominant compound is anethole, the same sweet anise-and-liquorice molecule as fennel and aniseed but more concentrated. It is aromatic-sweet, not hot, and it most often arrives in slow-braised, soy-and-spice dishes — so the pairing turns on echoing the anise while matching the savoury, sometimes sweet depth of the braise.

What it demands of a wine. Gentle aromatic sweetness and supple, low-to-moderate tannin to sit with the anise and the soft, fatty braise; fresh acidity to lift it; nothing hard or astringent against the liquorice.

Seek. For the classic red-braised and five-spice dishes, a juicy, low-tannin red with sweet fruit — a Cru Beaujolais or a ripe Grenache — echoes the spice and stays soft. Among whites, an off-dry Riesling answers both the anise and any chilli, and a chilled fragrant rosé bridges lighter pho and broths.

Avoid. Tannic, oaky reds clash hard with the anise and the soy salt. High alcohol turns the sweet spice hot. Austere dry whites fall flat against it.

Three to reach for. Cru Beaujolais; off-dry Mosel Riesling; a Grenache-led southern Rhône.