What Wine to Pair with Mooncakes

Ever wonder what wines to pair with mooncakes? Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner and with it comes an array of these iconic, moon-shaped pastries in flavours ranging from traditional to wildly creative. Whether you are gifting vegetarian matcha and almond mooncakes or classic cream custard, there is a wine out there to make your gift, or your own Mid-Autumn gathering, complete. 

Traditionalist

Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong’s Cream Custard with Toasted Pine Nuts Mooncakes

Created by Chef Chan Yan Tak of three-star Michelin restaurant Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons, these highly sought after mooncakes are handmade by the restaurant’s chefs using no preservatives. Though the classic cream custard mooncake can be quite rich, a sparkling wine aged on the lees has enough toasty notes to match the pine nuts with a creaminess to play alongside the custard. Vintage Champagne is always a win, but try matching a traditional mooncake with a surprising new world wine pairing in the form of the Zuccardi Blanc de Blancs 2016, a vintage bubbly made in the champagne method from a World’s Best Vineyard winning estate in Mendoza, Argentina. 

Old Favorite, New Twist

Old Favorite, New Twist: Mandarin Oriental’s Red Bean and Mandarin Orange Peel Mooncake 

Lovers of The Mandarin Cake Shop always look forward to the Hong Kong institution’s  inspired takes on traditional mooncakes that come out each Mid Autumn. One of this year’s highlights combines red bean with mandarin orange peel, a sweet and bitter ingredient used throughout Chinese cooking and traditional medicine. Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Head Sommelier Hubert Chabot recommends Tawny Port such as the one from Quinta do Noval in Portugal to pair with the red bean paste notes. “Intense brick colour. It has a complex nose, showing youthful fruit with a raspberry character, pairing aromatically very well with the red bean paste in our Red Bean Paste with Dried Tangerine Peel Mooncake. On the palate it is medium sweet, which optimally balances the rich texture of the mooncake.” For a sweeter selection, Chabot recommends a dessert wine, such as 2008 Tokaji Aszu, 5 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji from Hungary. “The characteristics are a vivid gold colour with honeyed apricot and orange peel flavours which are uplifted with dramatic acidity, which will beautifully pair with the zesty tangerine peel.”

TOASST loves this flavor combination. If looking for a more savory wine pairing, we recommend cutting into one of these sweet treats while popping a bottle of Com Burlotto Barbera d'Alba DOC Aves 2019, one of our favorite producers in Piedmont.  

Modernist

Matchali’s Matcha with Almond and Hojicha with Sesame Mooncakes

The home-grown stop for the cool kids who like to sip tea, Matchali has partnered with esca to create two unique tea-based mooncake flavours. Handmade without preservatives, these vegetarian friendly mooncakes literally ooze flavour, their molten centers pairing grassy matcha with almond or nutty roasted hojicha with sesame. The slightly oily creamy texture of the Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2018 from leading South African fairtrade producer Stellenrust has nutty, raisin, honey and oak notes that will lend itself well to the rich pastry while not overpowering the tea. Some botrytis development gives this white wine an off-dry finish that is a perfect match to this indulgent treat. 

To order your own wines for pairing or gifting this Mid Autumn festival, visit TOASST.CO/SHOP or contact your TOASST wine concierge at info@toasst.co.