Top 5 Seven Hills Wines to Pair with Chicken Feet

Casey talks wine & chicken feet pairings with Hong Kong wine trade

Which Seven Hills wines go best with chicken feet?

After over two decades in the wine business, this was one of a few questions that I had not yet been able to answer.   Happily, a recent trip to Hong Kong  gave us the opportunity to settle this question-at least when the chicken feet are prepared Cantonese style.

We met at the esteemed, venerable old China Club, and with the help of a wonderful group of sommeliers, on- an off-premise trade people, and our Hong Kong distributor team from Golden Gate Wine got to work on this very important issue.   But first we had to warm up by dining our way through an 8 course Cantonese meal paired with a variety of Seven Hills Wines.

Highlights included our Viognier and Riesling with dumplings and wontons, Merlot  with Salmon Rolls, Angus Beef seasoned with Deep-fried Garlic Flakes paired with Cabernet and Malbec, Braised Pork Spare Ribs with Syrah, and Beef Fillet & Bamboo Shoots with Tempranillo.   Wow!  One of the best Wine Luncheons I’ve ever had!

The real surprise was the arrival of the Chicken Feet course towards the latter half of the meal.  I’d never had them before, and I confess have never sought them out.  Thankfully,  our expert dining companions gave Vicky and I the essential tip:  Do not swallow the bones!  They were delightfully prepared in a batter and a delicate sweet/sour flavouring.

But really, they were more a texture experience.

After the course we took turns around the table voting on which wine made the best pairing.  There was probably a good 150 years of wine and food knowledge represented by the attendees, and this gave us a 3-way tie between Viognier, Malbec and Tempranillo.  I think we also had a vote each for Cabernet, Merlot, and maybe even Riesling.

We’d like to hear some suggestions for our next exotic wine pairing event…so don’t hesistate to share your thoughts with us via email or Facebook.

Cheers,

Casey & Vicky