Pairing Wine With Fried Rice

Fried rice, the classic takeout comfort food. There practically is no “Chinese takeout” without this vibrant, feel-good dish. This mixture of rice, peas, carrots, onions and eggs with a hint of soy sauce creates the perfect side dish for us to enjoy, and given its ingredients we can play a little with the wines we pair with it. Additionally, we can sometimes add some protein like chicken or bacon and therefore make the dish more interesting.

Given that it can be greasy at times, perhaps we could opt for a white wine with high acidity, like a Riesling as this would work wonders with the rice. For red wine lovers, we could instead choose a fruit-forward red wine with low tannins, such as Pinot Noir or even opt for a Syrah due to its wide range of flavours.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Fried Rice

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Off-Dry whites, Dry reds
Acidity	High
Tannins	Low
Body	Medium to full Bodied White, Light Reds
Tasting Notes	Peach, Citrus fruits, Melon

Best Red Wine To Drink With Fried Rice

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir has everything we need to pair well with Fried Rice: low alcohol, medium body, fruit-forward with aromas of black and red fruits and low tannins. A hint of spiciness can derive from aging in small oak; this will combine well for spice lovers since there are many variations of the traditional fried rice which use more spices. The Pinot Noir can enhance the spicy sensations of the dish creating a perfect balance.

Syrah

It is more full-bodied and has medium to high alcohol levels, although it maintains some acidity. The important characteristic of the Syrah is its wide range of flavours. It includes notes of red and black fruits, and white and black pepper, which can combine well with this dish to create a very interesting pairing.

Best White Wine To Drink With Fried Rice

The main characteristic of the wine that we should consider to create a nice dining experience is the sweetness. Some residual sugar (off-dry wines) is required and needed to mitigate the spiciness found in the dish. High acidity is also required to perfectly balance with all the other characteristics.

Riesling

These can be dry or off-dry to complement the dish well. An interesting way of creating this pairing is to use a splash of a younger, dry Riesling when cooking as this will enable interesting peach and blossom aromas to appear in the dish, giving this comfort food a little twist. The perfect pairing then becomes that bottle! The crisp acidity will cut through the grease effectively creating a great balance.

Pinot Gris

If you prefer your egg fried rice in a more traditional way we can use a Pinot Gris. French versions (mainly in Alsace) of this grape variety are off-dry. And with high acidity and fruity aromas such as peach, citrus fruits and melon, the perfect pairing can be made. Again, it is what we need in this dish to enhance its characteristics and create a refreshing pair.