What to drink for Chinese New Year

Ahead of the Year of the Pig, which starts on 5 February, we have rounded up some of the top dished seen at Chinese New Year dining tables, and matched their unique flavour profiles with the perfect wine, to help you celebrate the new year in style.

An intricate Chinese paper cutting to mark the Year of the Pig 2019.

From the piping hot dumplings commonly served at lunar New Year’s eve in northern China and steamed fish (鱼) to Chinese cured smoked sausage (香肠) and Hong Kong’s festive Poon Choi (盆菜) – a big bowl of various cooked ingredients – top wine importers in Hong Kong and mainland China including Watson’s Wine, Royal Orchid, COFCO Wine & Wine and ASC Fine Wines have cherry-picked the best wines to match the flavours of each dish.

Click through for our Chinese New Year food and wine pairing suggestions….

Chinese sausage (香肠)

For many Chinese, Chinese sausage, which is dried, cured and smoked during the 12th lunar month, epitomises the taste and memories of Chinese lunar new year.

Flavours of the sausages vary depending on different regions in China but there are generally two types, namely the more savoury and salty version found in Hunan, Sichuan provinces and the sweet version in Guangdong province.

To stand up to the flavours of savoury and fatty sausage, ASC Fine Wines recommend Rhône Valley’s E.Guigal Crozes-Hermitage, a dense and rich 100% Syrah.

This wine is full bodied, with red and black fruits aromas such as red plum, cherry and blackcurrant, and on the palate, it shows some vanilla, oak and spicy notes with a long finish.

If the wine is too light, lean and single dimensional, “it will make it appear dry and boring,” explains Matthew Gong, communication manager at ASC Fine Wines. “And E.Guigal Crozes-Hermitage is full-bodied, well structured, with a rich fruity and spicy aroma that perfectly complements the food.”

Dumplings

If you are trying to find one wine that could match up to different flavours of dumplings – a stable at Chinese dining tables for Chinese New Year- Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos will likely fit the bill.

Made with palomino grapes, the wine’s layers of complexity and flavours that come from a combined ageing under flor and later stage’s oxidation work well with dumplings with shrimp stuffings or even more potent minced lamb stuffings.  

The sherry spends equal periods of time in two types of ageing for an average age of 8 years, and is a relatively young Amontillado. Subtle and delicate, with aromas of hazelnuts, some vegetal notes (celery) and reminiscent of aromatic herbs and black tobacco, the wine is dry and aromatic, with plenty of umami and a balanced acidity. 

“Its finesse and moderate level of oxidation make Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos a perfect companion to an incredibly wide array of savory dishes making it a perfect wine for multi-course menus,” explains ASC’s Matthew Gong.

“Dumplings are the star throught out the new year season. Who doesn’t want to have dumplings for Chinese New Year?”  

Steamed Fish with Black-Bean Sauce

Fish is a must in most Chinese lunar new year dining tables, not only for its succulent meat but most importantly its auspicious-sounding name. In Chinese, fish (鱼) is a homonym of the Chinese word, surplus (余), and for that reason it’s often served as the last dish and left unfinished, symbolising in the coming year fortune and good luck will be abundant and plentiful.

There are different styles of cooking a fish, but a popular version is the steamed fish with black bean sauce to preserve the fish’s delicate flavour. A Champagne, as recommended by Hong Kong’s biggest wine retailer Watson’s Wine, is not only a good way to toast the start of a new year but also to match the fish.

Gosset Grand Blanc de Meunier Extra-Brut, a 100% Pinot Meunier, according to Graham Kwok from Watson’s Wine, can carry the salty and savoury taste of the fish in black bean sauce with its strong stone fruit flavours. The 10 years of ageing on lees gives the wine extra body and texture that can match the earthiness found in black bean sauce as well, commented Kwok. 

Braised dried abalone with shiitake in oyster sauce

Similar to fish, abalone is another staple found in southern China and Hong Kong for its auspiciousness as its Chinese name 鲍鱼 (bao yu) sounds similar to an “assurance of surplus”.

A regular Chinese New Year dish in Hong Kong is the braised abalone with shiitake mushroom in oyster sauce. “Dried abalone is very rich in flavours when it’s re-hydrated with stock or thick soup during the cooking process. It needs the concentrated cassis and spice notes of the wines,” explains Kwok from Watson’s Wine when introducing his wine selection, Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 from Tasmania in Australia. 

“The developed pencil shavings, truffles and black olives flavours from ageing go with the shiitake. A touch of eucalyptus pairs well with the sweetish and savoury oyster sauce,” he added. 

Poon Choi

Poon Choi (盆菜) or a ‘big bowl feast’ is a uniquely festive dish in Hong Kong that certainly won’t be missing for Chinese Spring Festival.

A one-pot dish, Poon Choi comprises all sorts of meat and vegetables layered and piled in a huge basin. Vegetables such as turnip, taro, lotus root are often layered on the bottom and dried oyster, chicken, duck, abalone, prawns are often placed on top.

Traditionally served in a wooden basin, the dish traces its history in Hong Kong back to 700 years ago in areas in today’s New Territories.

To match the different flavours and tastes of the ingredients in this dish, Royal Orchid recommended a rosé Champagne by Boizel Rosé to pair with this communal dish. Made from 20% Chardonnay, 50 % Pinot Noir and 30% Pinot Meunier, the bubble is a chameleon that will go with poultry, seafood and gamy meat.

Aged three years on lees, the wine has notes of raspberries and wild strawberries. The refined fruity aromas are intense and blend harmoniously with citrus notes, smooth spices and an elegant subtle minerality.

“Champagne is the beverage for celebration and the Rose color is soft and charming, especially Chinese traditionally prefer the red color tone,” explains Louis Lee, senior executive manager at Royal Orchid. “Champagne is a functional beverage and food friendly when you need something to deal with such complicated different kind of food in once.” 

Peking duck

It’s hard not to think of China’s legendary Peking duck for Chinese New Year. If it weren’t for the cholestrol level and fat, we will be having this every day for breakfast.

The smoked duck when done right is juicy, tender with crisp skin. Slicing the whole duck alone is a visual feast that tests a chef’s knife skills and acute understanding of a duck’s body structure.

The duck meat is eaten wrapped in traditional pancakes with cucumber and spring onions dipped in sweet bean sauce. The crisp and glistening duck skin is then served with white sugar.

For this decadent dish, Hou Feng from China’s leading wine importer, COFCO Wine & Wine, suggested two reds made by China’s very own GreatWall winery.

The dark fruits from a Shiraz made by the group’s premium winery SunGod in Hebei province complements nicely with the duck’s tender meat, smokiness and spices from wood, he says.

Another top choice is a Cabernet Sauvignon from GreatWall’s Five Star wine range. The high acidity and dense fruits of a Cabernet can cut through the fat in duck and cleanse the palate. “The tannins and acidity in the wine can nicely balance the greasy duck meat,” Hou commented.

Roasted lamb rack with cumin

For residents living in northwestern China, lamb more than chicken or pork is a favourite during holidays and festive occasions. This flagrant dish is a favourite among residents in Ningxia and Xinjiang provinces during festive occasions.

Lamb raised from northwestern China is said to be best in flavour. When roasted, the meat still retains moisture and loses excessive fat. The cumin in particular counters the gaminess in lamb.

Speaking of wine pairing choice for this flavour-rick and mildly spicy dish, Hou from COFCO Wine & Wine recommends a rich Cabernet Sauvignon from GreatWall Terroir winery in Hebei’s Changli that can match the gaminess and big flavours in the dish.