Last of the summer wine in Shanghai

A perplexing conundrum during Shanghai's summer: which wines work best in this heat? We sat down with Shanghai wine expert and former Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen sommelier Vance Yeang to see which summer wine we should be buying to see us through till fall. 

CNNGo: What are the best wines to help survive the Shanghai summer heat? 

Champagne and Rosé wines are popular ones for sitting out on local terraces; they can be dry, fruity or a bit sweet. Try Piper Heidsieck Champagne and Robert Skalli Cotes de Provence Rose.

CNNGo: Let's talk about whites. Which do you recommend?

Easy ones to find in Shagnahi are dry Rieslings like Pegasus Bay Riesling (New Zealand) and Josmeyer Riesling Le Kottabe Alsace; both are a good summer pairings. These wines go well with Asian food and can be paired with Sichuan food, Thai cuisine and even sushi.


For more on how to pair Shanghai wine with Chinese food, read on at "Pairing wines with Chinese food: It can be done"

CNNGo: Can you give us some advice about pairings for common summer foods?

In the summer here becasue it's so hot, you usually eat more salads; salads with vinaigrettes are good with dry Rieslings, the acidic taste brings out the sweetness. Sweeter rieslings, like Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese, are ideal on their own. People often eat a lot of fish in the summer. Salmon is a fatty fish, so you’d want a richer Riesling from Alsace. Try Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile. Lean meats from the grill match best with dry wines. 

CNNGo: When we sit out, a cheese plate or two often ends up coming around. What should we be ordering to go with it?

A Soave, like Masi Levarie Soave Classic, normally a tasteless wine, is a classic pairing with creamy cheeses like goat cheese. People mistakenly think cheeses need to be paired with red, but there are lots of summer-appropriate wine pairings. 

CNNGo: Where in Shanghai can people enjoy the wine your recommend here?

There are a lot of great places in Shanghai to enjoy wine, some to definitely stop by are Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen, KEE Club, the Shangri-La and Dining Room at the Park Hyatt. These places have some of the best wine lists in town.