What wine goes with Chinese food?
Off-dry Riesling is the best wine for Chinese food, since its slight sweetness balances sweet-and-sour sauces and chili heat, and its acidity cuts through anything fried.
A typical Chinese takeout order covers sweet, sour, salty, spicy and fried, often all at once. Dry, oaky or tannic wines struggle with that. A slightly sweet, high-acid white handles almost all of it, sparkling wine handles the rest, and a soft Pinot Noir is there for the red drinkers.
4 bottles that actually work with Chinese food
1. Dr. Loosen Dr. L Riesling
about $12Riesling · grocery and wine shops
Light, lightly sweet and super crisp. General Tso’s, orange chicken and sweet-and-sour pork all taste better with it. Low alcohol helps with the spice, too.
2. Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut
about $11Cava blend · nearly everywhere
The black bottle. Dry Spanish bubbles that cut through egg rolls, dumplings and fried rice for about eleven dollars.
3. Bread & Butter Pinot Noir
about $17Pinot Noir · most grocery stores
Soft, ripe and low on grip. The red to pick for beef with broccoli, Peking duck or anything with hoisin.
4. Whispering Angel Rosé
about $22Grenache blend · grocery and wine shops
Dry and crisp, and pairs with almost every carton on the table. A good choice when you’re sharing lots of dishes.
Depends how you are cooking it
- Sweet and sour or orange chicken
- Off-dry Riesling. The sweetness lines up.
- Kung pao or Szechuan
- Spicy and numbing. Off-dry Riesling or a low-alcohol sparkling wine.
- Dumplings and egg rolls
- Fried and salty. Dry sparkling wine.
- Beef and broccoli
- Savory and salty. Pinot Noir or a dry rosé.
What to skip
- Big, tannic reds
- Tannin plus soy, sweetness and spice is a recipe for bitter.
- Oaky Chardonnay
- The vanilla oak clashes with soy and ginger.
Also worth a look
Last checked 2026-10-04.