Being serenaded in Macau by a 12-string guitar performance of “Careless Whisper” isn’t the sort of experience to be outshined. But it was, by the versatile mystery wine on the table for an authentic Chinese hot pot meal: Vinho Verde.
Some cultural context for you non-history buffs: From 1557 to 1999, Macau, now an administrative region of China, was a Portuguese territory. Though Portuguese isn’t spoken in Macau and the cultures aren’t a logical “mix,” influences are heavy in the architecture and cuisine. Hence, the versatile Vinho Verde sharing a crowded table with rice moonshine and course after course of Chinese hot pot food.
That most memorable meal was a few years ago, and while anything “George Michael” tends to eclipse other goings-ons in the universe, I knew this wine was also something special. Almost 20 years after Portugal, some 6,850 miles away, handed Macau back to China, Vinho Verde remains; a testament to how well these wines pair with Asian food.
Wines that pair across the board with Asian and fried food, also known as gold, are hard to come by. So, I investigated with my mouth and I’m still sipping.
The United States is Vinho Verde’s primary export market, so chances are you’ve heard of it, especially these past few summers as it’s been enjoying a boom. But the impression many have, that “Vinho Verde is a wine that comes in a tall skinny bottle and is bubbly, greenish and inexpensive,” is off, except the latter, as these wines offer great value.
