Perfect match
Hong Kong-style lobster with cheese is similar to lobster mornay. Both have a bechamel sauce base; the difference is that the Hong Kong version tends to use pre-sliced, plastic-wrapped sandwich cheese. In a country where diners prefer to select their lobsters live from tanks, it's strange that this dish - which uses only the tails - is so popular. It's a given that you won't get sashimi-grade lobster but the rich cheese sauce makes it a hearty, rich dish. The resistant texture of the lobster carries flavours well and the oily richness of the cheese sauce demands a wine that can go the distance with real fruit flavour. Subtle oak will add weight and width to the combination while lively acidity refreshes the mouth for yet another indulgent bite.
Shaw and Smith M3 chardonnay 2008, Adelaide Hills, Australia
This stylish chardonnay - made by Shaw and Smith proprietor and master of wine Michael Hill Smith - has loads of lovely stone fruit and citrus, and a bit of minerality. It suits Hong Kong-style lobster, with the subtle complexity of the wine prolonging and expanding the dish, which already stands on a strong platform. There's plenty of oomph in this wine to stand up to the dish.
Available for HK$350 at Oliver's (tel: 2810 7710)
Kumeu River Mate's Vineyard chardonnay 2008, Auckland, New Zealand
This is another master of wine-made chardonnay, this time by Michael Brajkovich, who has devised a range of labelling hierarchy that mimics the French geographical descriptions. The highest label designation is this single-vineyard chardonnay; it then cascades down to the wines of regional origin. This Mat?s Vineyard chardonnay is lovely and creamy and melts into the lobster dish seamlessly. It's more generous than the previous wine in both mouthfeel and fruit volume. It's a good match with the lobster dish because of the textures and the comparable lushness between the wine's fruit and the sweet lobster succulence. Add a sprinkling of paprika or chilli powder to the dish to lift both the wine and the lobster.
Available for HK$265 at Wine'n'Things (tel: 2873 5733)
Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or Sauternes Cask Finish, Scotland
This Nectar d'Or is delicious and fruit salad-like, absolutely silky and rolls around the mouth happily. The richness of the savoury cheese sauce on the lobster is lightened by the whisky's fruity malt. The thickness of the sauce and the resilient texture is matched and extended by the creamy Glenmorangie. Just for contrast's sake, taste the lobster with Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, finished in old port casks - it's an awkward disaster.
Available for HK$600 at Watson's Wine Cellar (tel: 2606 8828)
Simon Tam is Christie's head of wine, China
