When talking about dumplings, the first thing that comes to our mind is that they cover a wide variety of fillings and vastly varied flavours, from traditional pork dumplings with leek, pork dumplings with cabbage, to various seafood dumplings. In winter, we can pair hot dumplings with wine. 

Introduction to the pairing of dumplings and wine

• Champagne is especially good with fried dumplings, and it works amazingly well with vinegar.
• Pair the filling in dumplings with a ripe Chardonnay or a fruity rosé.
• The more flavourful the dumpling filling, the harder it is to pair with wine.
• Avoid red wines with heavy tannins. 

Dumpling Dips

Traditional dumpling dips include soy sauce, dumpling vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and some mixed spicy sauce. You can adjust the concentration of salt and acidity to bring the perfect balance to this treat. If you prefer a saltier sauce, it shouldn't be too difficult to pair with the right wine. But if you only like vinegar as the dumpling sauces, try to choose a wine with higher acidity. Champagne might be a good choice. 

Types of Dumplings

If you like steamed or boiled dumplings, the outer skin will be soft while maintaining a clean, doughy texture. If you are planning to cook the dumpling in the water, the filling of the dumping should be slightly lighter with less flavour. Therefore, you should pair with creamy aged champagne, a ripe New World Chardonnay, a fruity Grenache or Zinfandel rosé and other great wines, especially at the winter family gatherings. Boiled or steamed dumplings should be avoided with bold, heavy red wines, as the dumplings will overshadow the red wine, and the tannins don't work well with soft, sticky dough. 

Fried dumplings are better to pair with wine, as fried dumplings have a crispier skin and more texture with the scorch marks on the bottom. When handled properly, the filling is plump and soft inside. Since the fried dumplings absorb the oil during cooking, a chilled bottle of NV Champagne (no vintage champagne) or English sparkling wine is a good match for cold or hot fried dumplings.

Lydia Zhao POINT PLUME