Can fried food and sparkling wine pairings win over young Asian drinkers?

Sparkling wine brands should be tapping into the popularity of deep-fried foods if they want to appeal to young Asian consumers, Pandora Poon argues.

To kick off the masterclass ‘Sips & Bites from Around the World’ at VinExpo Asia Hong Kong, Jennifer Docherty, one of just three Hong Kong-based Masters of Wine (MW), quoted Ronald Jackson: “The presence of fine wine raises a biological need to the level of one’s life’s greatest delights.”

As a lover of deep-fried food, Docherty argued that, particularly in Asia, pairings with sparkling wines can work particularly well.

“Deep-fried food always works with something that has lovely and lively acidity like Champagne,” she said.

Deep frying is a prominent and integral part of many Asian cuisines. Well-known examples include Japanese tempura, Indian pakora, Vietnamese spring rolls, and Chinese sugarcane shrimp, which is also one of the food pairings presented during the class paired with a traditional method sparkling wine from China’s Grace Vineyard.

Docherty argued that when it comes to pairing, you want a wine with a similar or higher acidity than the dish. Acidity in the wine can help cut through the richness and greasiness of fried foods in particular, acting as a palate cleanser.

Fried food’s prevalence on social media platforms and among younger consumers in Asia could mean a big opportunity for sparkling wine brands trying to tap into the market. Social media significantly influences the food choices of millennials and Gen Z. The widespread popularity of street foods and fried foods on platforms like Instagram and TikTok presents a unique opportunity for sparkling wine producers. By aligning their products with these trending foods, producers can effectively tap into the preferences of a younger demographic through strategic pairings.

Fried-food and drinks pairings are already taking off. in South Korea, the term “Chimaek” is a Korean portmanteau of “chicken” and “beer” referring to the popular pairing of the two. It gained such widespread recognition that it was officially cited in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2021.

And this year, a new restaurant in Manhattan began offering Korean-style fried chicken paired with an extensive Champagne wine list to capitalise on the current Asian food trend.

The combination has quickly gained popularity among young drinkers on TikTok and other social media platforms, highlighting the ample opportunity for wine brands looking for a new way to tempt the next generation of drinkers and food lovers alike.