Perfect match
There's nothing glamorous about steamed pork belly with shrimp paste - but it is delicious. In place of plain salt, the shrimp paste is used to season the fatty pork. The paste bestows a much more complex flavour - its salt has been changed by the fermentation process - and it's carried by the sweetness of the shrimp. In preparation, strips of pork belly are blanched in hot water then steamed in a mixture of Chinese wine, garlic and shrimp paste. Steaming the ingredients together blends the flavours and brings the aromatic (read: stinky) shrimp paste to the fore. Wines served with this dish should have plenty of fruit and either firm, balancing tannins or lively acidity.
Te Mania pinot noir rose 2008, Nelson, New Zealand
Most small planes leaving Wellington head to Marlborough but if you steer right, you will end up in Nelson - also known as God's country. Marlborough may claim to be the sunniest place in New Zealand but the good people of Nelson have equipment accurate enough to prove they deserve the title. This sunshine turns grapes from tart to delicious. This is evident in the biodynamically made Te Mania wines. The pinot noir rose would go best with sumptuous pork fat and pungent shrimp paste - the dry wine and sweet pork would contrast to great effect. The oakless rose adds a tone of elegance to the humble dish and the caressing acidity of the wine refreshes the palate.
Available for HK$117 at Links Concept (tel: 2802 2818)
Craggy Range Sophia 2007, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
In less than 10 years, Craggy Range has become one of New Zealand's most famous wine brands. It's also one of the few internationally known New Zealand producers that didn't invest all it had in the iconic sauvignon blanc. This Sophia is a bordeaux-style blend but mostly merlot and cabernet franc, rather than cabernet sauvignon, based. It's silky and well-polished - you don't have to be a wine expert to enjoy it. It complements the pork dish because the background charred-oak flavours in the wine are absorbed by the shrimp paste. The fatty pork sweetness works well with the wine's deep red fruit and supple tannins.
Available for HK$358 at Montrose Fine Wines (tel: 2555 8877)
Kanonkop Estate pinotage 2007, South Africa
Kanonkop owner Johann Krige was in Hong Kong last year for a rare tasting of some of the brand's famous reds, including this pinotage. The grape is uniquely South African, although cabernet and merlot are the country's dominant fruit. Unlike cabernet, it is difficult to pinpoint specific flavours in pinotage, although the wines have obvious tannins. With a little imagination, you might also be able to detect the light tone of a red burgundy. The savoury tone of this wine links seamlessly to the heady shrimp paste and the saltiness and oiliness of the dish are balanced by the rich fruit and the defined tannins in the wine.
Available for HK$225 at Northeast Wines & Spirits (tel: 2873 5733)
