Chinese New Year Food and Wine Pairings

As we celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday here in Asia with family and friends, we take note of how lucky we are to have a community of wine lovers to share our common passion (and wine!) with year-round. Regardless of the occasion, we’re excited to bring you our February Toasst box with a special bonus for our subscribers.  

A highlight in this month’s Toasst box is the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, a fantastic example of trending English sparkling wines that are appropriate for any occasion. We thought it would be the perfect treat for our loyal members, be it for Valentine’s Day or any occasion to celebrate (end of dry Jan, anyone?). Head winemaker Cherie Spriggs' achievement as the first winemaker outside of Champagne (and first female) to win Sparkling Winemaker of the Year makes this wine doubly special for us. With a racy, medium length finish and zingy salinity, we can't get enough of the notes of crisp green apple, pear, and brioche that yield a fresh, tickling acidity on the palate, reflecting the cooler climate in the south of England, similar to the Champagne region. 

As a delightful alternative to champagne or cava, English fizz makes for a wonderful aperitif and a more forgiving partner for food pairing. Perfect as part of a romantic Valentine’s dinner or for a lovely dinner in with friends, we savor the flinty minerality notes with high acidity, which helps with drawing out flavor profiles in fresh ingredients. Serve with a creamy brie, tossed winter lentil tomato root vegetable salad or mild ceviche or sashimi course. 

For our red lovers, we are excited to feature the Thorny Devil Barossa Grenache 2016, a lovely 100% Grenache from Thistledown, a boutique winery hailing from Adelaide Hills in Australia. Co-founder and winemaker Giles Cooke MW has made it his mission to remake Grenache as the region's elegant version of Pinot Noir and we are lucky enough to be its beneficiaries. It's hard to resist this wine's aromatic, perfumed nose, chewy cherries and berries on the palate combined with silky tannins, long finish and well-balanced acidity and structure. As with all Thistledown wines, this wine is part of a small batch production with the intent to maximize fruit purity, texture and finesse. 

Simply delicious on its own or a delight with food, this wine’s aromatics offer an elegant nose rather than a ripe juice bomb. With a pleasant acidity and cherry finish, try pairing it with braised chicken with grapes and shallots or tender duck breast with lime and pineapple - just an example of few of the recipes available at Toasst.co to help with dinner inspiration for your Toasst wines. We’ve found it to be a versatile red with different shades of Asian cuisine, from spicy peppery beef stir fry to Chinese barbecued meats. 

Due to office closures over the Lunar New Year, shipments are planned for mid-February to members. We apologize for any inconvenience but trust that you’ll find this box worth the wait. In the meantime, we wish everyone health and happiness in the year of the Rat! 

Please remember to share your Toasst experience on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and send questions, comments and feedback to info@toasst.co - we want to hear from you! 

Thank you for being a part of Toasst. #livebetter #winebetter

Amy & Christina 

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