Donna Chang may be celebrated for its fragrant, elevated Chinese food, but for sommelier Chris Entwistle that creates a different challenge when compared to writing wine lists to match to Australian or European food.

“With a cuisine that has evolved without reference to wine, we see wine as being the guest at the table,” says Entwistle. “We try to find a place for wine to be able to complement or contrast against the experience of what we’re eating.”

The Donna Chang menu is loaded with vinegar-based condiments, aromatic spices and the heat of chilli, so there are a few things to think about when it comes to a solid wine pairing.

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“As soon as there’s chilli, we back away from alcohol and tannin,” says Entwistle. “If you are playing with sweet ingredients or using sugar, you need to balance that out with acidity or sourness.”

Now we’ve covered the basics, here are five Donna Chang dishes to order through Providoor, along with Entwistle’s wine picks to help take them to the next level.

Scallop and prawn dumpling with Stargazer riesling
“You’ve got the sweetness of the scallop and prawn meat, and a very strong and generous seasoning of a black vinegar-based sauce with tons of chopped up coriander and a little bit of chilli oil,” says Entwistle. The punchy flavour profile of this wonton cries out for a little balance in the wine match, so Entwistle recommends a riesling with just a touch of sweetness to match the sour vinegar. “I’ve picked the Stargazer riesling by Sam Connew in the Coal River Valley, Tasmania. It’s got purity of expression, some gorgeous lime pith and green apple characters.”

White cut chicken with Wines of Merritt’s chenin blanc
“This is a real classic Chinese dish,” says Entwistle. “The white cut chicken is boiled and then served in quite a strong and robust sauce with a bit of sourness to it.” For an aromatic poultry dish such as this, find yourself a dry white wine with a little texture – like a Wines of Merritt chenin blanc. “The wine is layered and textural but still has that puckering green-apple acidity,” says Entwistle. “The balance and tension between the savoury [characteristics] alongside the acidity really works well with chicken, or any poultry dish.”

Dan dan noodles with Terre Nere Etna rosso
Robust spices, subtle sweetness and savoury beef combine in this classic noodle dish. “This is a real western Chinese-inspired dish – that part of China where the Turkic influence, with the cumin and Middle Eastern spices, hits traditional Chinese ingredients,” says Entwistle. Here, the lightly sweet and savoury flavour profile lends itself to a fresh and racy red, and Entwistle recommends the Terre Nere Etna rosso. “It gives you ripe red fruit with hints of savoury herbal characters, a balance between sweet fruits with savoury elements, and [a little] acidity.”

Steamed barramundi with Jim Barry assyrtiko
This dish combines a delicate broth and plenty of aromatic herbs with the distinctive texture of barramundi. “When you’ve got those low-tone aromas, I like to use a wine that showcases a little bit of age or nuttiness,” says Entwistle. That means pulling out a little-known Greek style called assyrtiko produced by Jim Barry Wines – preferably with a bit of age, if you can find it. “It has beautiful nutty, smoky characters alongside lemon curd with honey, and a little bit of dried apricot that ties in nicely with the barramundi.”

Braised pork belly with SC Pannell Old McDonald grenache
The pork in this dish (also known as hong shao rou) is braised for hours in a sweet liquor to achieve its signature red-stained colour and melting texture. Sweetness can be a tough character to match when it comes to wine, but Entwistle recommends the powerful concentration of the Old McDonald grenache from SC Pannell. “There are little notes of aniseed and savoury spice in there – you can picture that being part of the aromatic mix of the beautiful sauce that comes with the pork belly,” says Entwistle. “For me, it’s the minerality, the concentration and the little bit of saline lick at the end of it which balances out the hong shao rou braised pork belly.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Providoor.