Place sugar, water, wine, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, ginger, star anise in a saucepan. The pan should hold all the pears in a single layer. Bring liquid to boil, stirring occassionally to dissolve sugar. Cook 5 minutes. Peel and core pears. Halve, if desired. Place pears in boiling liquid. Add more water if needed to cover them. Return liquid to a boil. Cover and reduce to Low. Simmer pears gently til just tender, 10 to 20 min. With slotted spoon, remove pears from liquid and set aside. Put on High; boil to reduce liquid to about 2 cups. Strain sauce, discarding solids. To serve hot, place pears in dishes, and spoon sauce on top. To serve cold, put pears and sauce in covered bowl and refrigerate; keeps 2 - 3 days. Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine