MyTastr

Best shaoxing wine, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from Grace Young, Andrea Nguyen and Maggie Zhu. Recommendations come from seriouseats.com, vietworldkitchen.com and omnivorescookbook.com.

International Pantry · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Pagoda Shaoxing Rice Wine

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    “The best brand available in the US.” She warns that bad rice wine is “just like salted wine,” and that dry sherry beats a poor bottle. Andrea Nguyen: “Pagoda Brand has long been heralded as the go-to brand.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: seriouseats.com ↗
  2. 2

    Pagoda Shaoxing Hua Tiao (unsalted / aged)

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    “I have used Pagoda wine extensively and highly recommend their unsalted varieties”: the drier Hua Tiao or the sweeter Jia Fan. Nguyen found Pagoda’s pricier aged, boxed bottles “more complex and sophisticated than the red label.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: omnivorescookbook.com ↗
  3. 3

    Cheng Huang Chiew Rice Wine (Hua Tiao)

    Chosen by
    “I have been using [it] lately and found it very good. It is technically not Shaoxing wine, but identical for our purposes.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: omnivorescookbook.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best shaoxing wine, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Pagoda Shaoxing Rice Wine, chosen by Grace Young (wok cookbook author). “The best brand available in the US.” She warns that bad rice wine is “just like salted wine,” and that dry sherry beats a poor bottle. Andrea Nguyen: “Pagoda Brand has long been heralded as the go-to brand.” Source: seriouseats.com ↗
What are the other top picks for shaoxing wine?
No. 2 is Pagoda Shaoxing Hua Tiao (unsalted / aged), chosen by Maggie Zhu (Omnivore’s Cookbook). No. 3 is Cheng Huang Chiew Rice Wine (Hua Tiao), chosen by Maggie Zhu (Omnivore’s Cookbook). Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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