A Bold Case for Chinese Wine with Cantonese Craft

There is a certain skepticism that follows any attempt to pair Chinese wines with refined Cantonese cuisine —a legacy of thin, candied reds and hollow whites that once haunted domestic cellars. But Chef Tam Kwok-Fung, at his rechristened Chef Tam’s Seasons within Wynn Palace Macau, is out to shatter that memory. His latest tasting menu doesn’t just nod to local wines; it builds an entire argument around them, course by meticulous course, using award-winning bottles from the 2026 Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards.

The meal opens with a Guangzhou-style appetiser trio that immediately signals precision. The lobster “gwok ji”—a crisp, golden custard cube—shatters to reveal a silky, sea-sweet interior. Next to it, Xinjiang pickled radish with plum and fruit vinegar offers a bracing, almost electric sourness. And the chilled pork ear terrine, layered like a geological cross-section, delivers a clean, gelatinous bite. The Dew Sparkling N1/04—a brisk, bead-fine sparkler—does exactly what it should: its piercing acidity scrubs away the terrine’s richness, leaving you ready for more.

Then comes the soup: double-boiled fig leaf gourd, conpoy, pork ribs, fish maw, and pearl meat. The broth is a masterwork of clarity and depth—almost translucent, yet densely packed with marine umami and the subtle sweetness of dried scallops. It’s the kind of soup that demands silence.

The signature stuffed crab shell with bird’s nest is, frankly, architectural. The filling is loose and creamy, packed with hand-picked crab meat, topped with a generous puff of bird’s nest. The Cannan Winery Chunter and Verse Mastery Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (a proud medalist) brings gooseberry zip and a flinty spine—exactly the kind of high-toned acidity a dish this decadent needs to avoid collapsing under its own weight.

A fig-leaf steamed fish with salted citrus follows. The leaf imparts a faint, almost coconut-like perfume. Paired with the Cannan Winery Chapter and Verse Reserve Chardonnay 2020—toasty, lees-aged, and surprisingly taut—the combination is revelatory. The wine’s creamy mid-palate mirrors the fish’s texture, while its citrus-laced finish echoes the salted citrus.

The sand ginger salt-baked baby pigeon is a textbook study in contrast: the skin is paper-thin, flesh pink and violently juicy. And the Shangri-La Sacred Land Dry Red 2019, a burly Bordeaux-style blend, proves it can handle the gamey intensity without bullying it—a small miracle.

As for the steamed Tibetan suckling pig? It’s luscious, almost buttery. The same red wine holds firm, its tannins softening against the fat.

Dessert—a nostalgic triptych of ginger date pudding, deep-fried mochi, and salted egg yolk layered cake—finds its perfect foil in the Amethyard Petit Manseng Sweet Wine 2024. Named Best Wine of China at the awards, this late-harvest stunner offers pineapple richness and a bracing, acidic finish that never cloys. It’s the rare sweet wine that actually cleanses.

Chef Tam is not merely substituting French labels with Chinese ones. He is proving, plate after plate, that the country’s best wines have outgrown their training wheels. At Chef Tam’s Seasons, the pairing is no longer a novelty. It’s a statement. And it’s delicious.