Sherpa’s Pairings

Michelle Ozier

Ordering in for the night? Shanghai’s most popular delivery service not only has the food, there’s also a load of wine that they’ll bring straight to your door. Sherpa’s wine consultant Michelle Ozier dishes on what wine pairs well with your order.

Not willing to mentally return to wintry Shanghai after my trip to New Zealand over Chinese New Year, I spent most of last week staying warm with copious amounts of the lovely Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc that Sherpa’s lists at RMB 148. It’s a power horse of a Marlborough savvy and pairs well with almost anything. My personal favourite pairings are with a mixed cheese and cold meats platter from somewhere like That’s Amore or the delicious grilled sea bass from Café Montmartre.

The wine does have the very obvious grassy and gooseberry notes that you would expect from this varietal and is best served very chilled. The clean fruit and acidity of the wine gives an intense and refreshing finish, which means that it is also the perfect companion with salad options, such as the salad nicoise or pear and arugula salad that they offer at Ginger Café. For those that are enjoying the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, which is listed a bit higher in price than the Villa Maria, I suggest trying the Villa Maria as a great alternative. During March, Sherpa’s is offering the Villa Maria as its wine of the weekend deal, with a RMB 20 saving with a two bottle purchase.

The March madness doesn’t stop there. If you prefer a brew, Sherpa’s has four-packs of Hoegaarden on the menu for just RMB 85 throughout March with an extra RMB 20 discount if you buy two four-packs. Hoegaarden is the original Belgian white beer, and delivers a great fruity punch. With background notes of cloves, it has a faintly creamy texture without being too carbonated on the tongue. Beers of this type do tend to be filling in themselves, but they are great to enjoy with all sorts of appetisers. We enjoyed it with an assortment of Xinjiang skewers and breads from Xibo.

As a final note, Sherpa’s latest Puxi menu is released later this month, so keep an eye out for some great new wine additions at fantastic value as well as updated listings from our partnering restaurants.    

Web: www.sherpa.com.cn