During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people usually enjoy a full moon with mooncakes and a pot of tea. But who says you can't enjoy this rich holiday treats with a good glass of wine? When it comes to pairing mooncakes, the flavours, aromas, and textures of a wide variety of wines rival any oolong, Pu-erh, or Tieguanyin. Now I will share with you the best choices of several popular mooncakes to pair with wine.

1. Traditional Lotus Seed Paste Mooncakes

Wine：Pinot Noir

Matching instructions：The sweet white lotus seed paste mooncake has a rich taste and is easy to get tired of. They go well with young Pinot Noir, which has a prominent cherry flavour and breaks up the sweetness with bright juicy flavours, silky tannins and a refreshing finish. The enticing vibrant fruit structure adds a refined aftertaste to this mooncake.

2. Rich Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake

Wine：Champagne

Matching instructions：Cantonese-style mooncakes usually use a whole salted egg yolk to represent the full moon, while also echoing the sweetness of lotus seed paste. A typical pairing for this mooncake is a dessert wine, but champagne or sparkling wine is also a wise choice. It has a baked cream cake scent that goes perfectly with the fragrant baked crust mooncakes. The acidity of the champagne balances the mild sweetness of the white lotus paste, while the bubbles refresh the yolks. The addition of white lotus paste also enhances the delicate aroma of fresh pear fruit and the aroma of white flowers in the wine.

3. Nutty Black Sesame Mooncake

Wine：Botrytis Sémillon

Matching instructions：Filled with white lotus seeds and black sesame seeds, the taste is round and mellow. The nutty, earthy black sesame mooncakes are recommended with wines made from noble grapes. Botrytis Sémillon exudes enticing ripe tropical aromas such as passion fruit, mango, apricot, peach, cinnamon or nutmeg, complementing the nutty flavours of black sesame seeds.

4. Delicate Snowskin Matcha Mooncake

Wine：Chenin Blanc

Matching instructions：Snowskin mooncakes are a more modern version of mooncakes that are popular with the younger generation. Made from glutinous rice flour, this mooncake has a stretchy, soft outer skin that resembles mochi. Tea-flavoured mooncakes like the Matcha Snowskin mooncakes are best served with a semi-sweet Chenin Blanc. Its distinctive floral, honey and nutty aromas, as well as the refreshing citrus scent, accentuate the green tea fragrance in the mooncakes. 

Lydia Zhao POINT PLUME