I was invited to lunch with some friends the other day at a very nice Chinese restaurant. The food was prepared very nicely with attention given to complementation of tastes textures and colors. It was for the most part a traditional Chinese dining experience except for the wine. My host bought a bottle of dry red wine which was produced in Xinjiang the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilization. In between toasts we discussed how the quality of wine in China is on the rise as well as its popularity.

一些朋友在一个很好的中餐厅请客。饭菜做得不错，味、形、色等搭配都很诱人，除了葡萄酒外，这是高档传统中国餐的经验。主人买了一瓶干红葡萄酒，产地是东西方文化交会点的新疆。碰杯之前我们谈到中国葡萄酒质量的提高以及喝葡萄酒的普及。

In the four years that I have been in China I have noticed a much larger selection in the stores and including European and South American wines. Many foreign vineyards are even investing in China offering technology and expertise because they see China as a market with incredible potential. Wine producers in Europe especially where the market is experiencing difficulties are hopeful a culture of wine drinking will emerge in China and provide greater economic opportunity. The culture of wine drinking however is difficult to graft into a different culinary culture.

在中国的４年之中，我发现商店里人们更多会选择葡萄酒，包括欧洲和南美洲的葡萄酒。不少的外国葡萄园甚至在中国投资，提供技术和经验，他们认为中国的市场很有潜力。欧洲的葡萄酒生产商希望中国能呈现一种品味葡萄酒的文化并提供给他们更多的商机，因为欧洲的葡萄酒市场不佳。不过品味葡萄酒的文化很难嫁接到不同的美食文化上。

As different kinds of baijiu complement different dishes so wine has its own pairings. Dry red wine is best with dark meats and cheese. A fruity red wine goes well with lobster or spicy food. White wine is best chilled and is paired with fish chicken and pork. Cheese is also an important part of wine culture. There is an endless array of soft and hard cheeses that taste nothing like the sour cheese found in Central Asia. Many western cheeses are made specifically for consumption with wine. 

正如不同的白酒适合不同的菜肴，葡萄酒也有相应的搭配。干红最好跟红肉和奶酪一起搭配，有水果味的红酒跟龙虾和有辣味的菜搭配，鱼肉、鸡肉和猪肉等最好搭配冰镇白葡萄酒。奶酪也是品酒文化的重要组成部分。有数不清的软和硬的奶酪品种，味道与中亚的酸奶酪根本不同。其实，很多西方的奶酪是专门为了配葡萄酒而生产的。

For me it is hard to imagine drinking wine without these pairings in mind and yet in China I have many times had red wine with fish or white wine with beef. This is because few people are aware of the subtleties of western flavors. The culture of wine drinking is still very western but no matter what Chinese necessarily imbibe it within their own gastronomic context. It seems to me that as the wine industry develops that it certain pairings will become more common such as strong fruity red wines and spicy Sichuanese fare. Perhaps these wines will even be made in Xinjiang. As foreign drinks become part of Chinese culinary culture I hope high quality dishes will at the same time be exported to the west where the universe of Chinese food is largely unknown. This would represent the pinnacle of East-West dialogue and what better place to do it than Xinjiang!

对我来说，很难想象喝葡萄酒缺乏这些搭配，但是在中国，我常常吃鱼的时候喝红酒或白葡萄酒配牛肉。这是因为很少有人理解西方品葡萄酒的微妙味道。品葡萄酒文化仍然是西方的，但中国人也在本地的美食环境中饮酒。我看，随着葡萄酒业的发展，一些搭配越来越普遍，如辣味川菜和有水果味的红酒，也许这种酒是在新疆生产的。随着洋酒成为中国美食文化的一部分，我希望高级的中餐同时出口到西方去，因为在那里中国的美食世界还基本不被认识。我想新疆的美食恐怕是东西方交流最好的选择吧！