By Jim Boyce

We ate and drank, ate and drank, ate and drank, then ate and drank some more – all in the name of research. The inaugural International Congress of Chinese Cuisine & Wine met in Beijing in May and put the livers and stomachs of some 100 participants to the test. Two morning and two afternoon sessions saw people from the wine, food, and media sectors face a lineup of about a dozen wines and try them against a succession of foods. Everyone then voted on the pairings. The result is this Official Pairing Guide in English and Chinese.

Ch’ng Poh Tiong, whose wine publishing endeavors include Chinese Bordeaux Guide, Asian Sommelier Guide and, since 1991, The Wine Review, is the driving force behind the ICCCW and gave permission to reproduce its guide here.

The guide is being sent to five-star and four-star hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing, with other targets including other Chinese cities, restaurants, wine distributors and shops, and journalists, he says. Ch’ng adds that the initiative is not limited to China, but will be extended to locations in Asia, North America, and Europe.

(I took notes during the four food-wine sessions and the Penfolds Grange and Chateau Margaux tastings at the ICCCW and plan to write more about this event.)

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