7 best wines to pair with your mooncakes this Mid-Autumn Festival

Boasting richness and balance, Koonunga Hill wines have been part of Penfolds’ rich history for many years. The Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling is expressive and aromatic with a floral gardenia and almond blossom scent, as well as citrus notes, thanks to mandarins and limes that leave a delicately fresh aftertaste.

Best paired with: The savouriness of a mixed nuts and ham mooncake and red lotus paste mooncake

Like the Riesling, their Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet is a crowd favourite, both at Penfolds and amongst wine collectors. The perennial South-Australian crimson blend has notes of raspberry, chocolate and a lively acidity with a generous hint of oak.

Best paired with: The equally classic white lotus paste and salted egg yolk mooncake or a nutty black sesame paste mooncake

Representative of a warm Australian Shiraz, this robust, cherry-black wine starts off with an initial blackberry fruit and black olive tapenade note. Once you taste it, the notes of bitter chocolate, pipe tobacco and dark-berried fruits come through.

Best paired with: Savoury mooncakes and red lotus paste mooncakes

Named after former Penfolds Chief Winemaker, Max Schubert, this plum-coloured wine is infused with notes of spearmint tea and lavender, providing a cool, flowy texture.Take in the vanilla sponge, juniper and pink peppercorn aromas as you enjoy your evening.

Best paired with: Mooncakes with mixed nuts and those filled with black sesame paste

Probably the fruitiest of the lot, this South-Australian Shiraz delivers a dark chocolate aroma, with a generous black cherry, strawberry and satsuma plum tang. These all flow through to your palate, leaving a defined tannin. If you’re afraid that it’ll be too fruity, fret not as it is balanced out with subtle dried thyme and sage notes.

Best paired with: Mooncakes with salty and nutty fillings, as well as white lotus paste and salted egg yolk

If you’re more of a white wine person, this one’s for you. With fresh, citrusy flavours of stone fruits like yellow peach and grapefruit pith, accompanied with floral notes of jasmine and white rose petal perfume, this crème brulee-like French oak Chardonnay lingers with a lovely acid line.

Best paired with: Any mooncake that has a savoury element, be it salted egg yolk or smoked ham

If you’re looking for an all-around wine that goes well with just about any mooncake filling, this is the one for you. This versatile, medium-bodied wine pairs especially well with the savoury mooncakes with its super-fine tannins and a background oak flavour that lingers in your mouth beautifully.

Flavours of pomegranate, strawberry pips and cherry, with cardamom and a hint of paprika are omnipresent, making it rich but not overwhelming.

Best paired with: Mooncakes with lotus paste, black sesame, mixed nuts with ham or even pandan filling

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