Year of the Rabbit: Food & Wine Pairing Guide

As we celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday with friends and families of diverse backgrounds and cultures, we thought of designing a delicious food and wine pairing around the world featuring some of our latest TOASST wines and traditional Chinese New Year dishes that revolve around lucky dishes of fish, noodles,  dumplings and sweet rice cake (nian gao). 

Come along with us on our tasting journey and check out our CNY wine pairing 101 guide below for for suggestions on how to pair wines with our top 5 Lucky Lunar New Year dishes.

Credit: @SincerelyAline

1) Dumplings

Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year. Traditional fillings include minced pork, diced shrimp, fish, ground chicken, and beef but you can use anything nowadays, including vegetarian and vegan variations like white wine with chive and mushrooms and with spicy lotus root and shiitake can be prepared by boiling, steaming, frying or baking. Traditionally enjoyed in a group setting try pairing as a finger food with an aperitif with a dry refreshing wine with high acidity such as a sparkling wine. Our picks this year include the bright, uplifting aromas of the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee NV from West Sussex, England with its toasty, complex flavors, racy, medium length finish and zingy salinity.  Another option is a delicious, full-bodied Chardonnay like the Ropiteau 1er Cru Chablis Vaillons 2019. Its lemon, vanilla, butter, yeast aromas are balanced by a chalky minerality, texture on the mid-palate with high acidity and lingering finish, making it a perfect aperitif with dumplings. 

To make your own dumplings, check out this recipe for Tofu, Mushroom and Garlic Chive Dumplings from Aline Davies @SincerelyAline at TOASST.CO.

2) Fish

A traditional Lunar New Year dinner includes a whole fish, which symbolizes prosperity for the entire year and brings  good luck and abundance. The traditional Cantonese recipe calls for a whole white fish such as sea bass, tilapia, red snapper, or pompano with soy, scallion and ginger. The bright, bold flavors in this delicate dish make a delightful pairing with a Pinot Blanc such as the one from Josmeyer "Mise du Printemps" Alsace AOP 2021 with its alluring aromas of white floral bouquet, lemon and grapefruit balanced by a restrained freshness, high acidity and long, precise finish. and medium acidity, perfect to balance the salt, sweet and spice that is a hallmark of Chinese food.

3) Noodles

No proper Lunar New Year celebratory banquet is without “long life” noodles, or yi mien. In addition to symbolizing longevity, eating noodles also signifies prosperity and good luck. While any uncut noodle dish will do, the traditional Chinese dish is often made with egg noodles, scallion, oyster sauce, sugar and soy sauce. For this mixture of sweet and salty, we recommend the Tiansai Skyline of Gobi Chardonnay Reserve 2019, a mineral, crisp lemon with textured salinity on the palate and slightly nutty finish that cuts through the many contrasting flavors and texture of the noodles.

4) Suckling Pig & Whole Chicken

Celebratory Chinese celebrations and banquets always include whole suckling pig and whole chicken so expect one or both with any Lunar New Year feast. Seasoned with five-spice powder, red fermented beancurd and maltose syrup, the dark red-hued suckling pig is roasted to crisp perfection while the traditional Cantonese roast chicken is also prepared with five-spice powder, salt, soy sauce and honey. 

For dishes like suckling pig with slightly sweet crisp skin, pair with a balanced medium-bodied Pinot Noir with juicy tannins such as the Ashton Hills Pinot Noir Piccadilly Valley 2020, a refined expression of New World Pinot Noir with layered cherry and black fruit on the nose, bouquet of rose, vanilla, fresh herbs and oak that makes this a memorable wine to start and end a meal with.  

For the roast chicken, there’s always Burgundy. Pair with a beautifully balanced Olivier Merlin Saint Veran AOP 2020 with its intense floral bouquet aromas with lemon, stone fruit, well-structured acidity, with subtle oak and lingering finish. For those who prefer a red, the Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana 2020 never disappoints. Guests will love this Super Tuscan "light" with its alluring nose of rich black and red cherry fruit, herbal notes, earth, mushroom, and hint of chocolate and tobacco.   

5) Sweet Rice Balls

Sweet rice balls or tang yuan are mochi-like balls made of sweet glutinous rice flour typically contain sweet or salty fillings depending on which part of China you’re from and are boiled in water. Traditionally served on the last day of the Chinese New Year festivities, the round sweet rice balls came to symbolize family reunion or togetherness. While desserts typically pair well with a sweeter wine such as a fortified sweet wine like the Domaine de Bila-Haut Banyuls Rouge Vin doux naturel Banyuls AOP 2018 , we also tend to like ending and finishing a meal with the fresh acidity of sparkling wine. A good one to have on hand is the Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve, Champagne, France NV with its toasty bouquet with pear, brioche and yeasty aromas followed by a slightly saline, lingering finish with beautiful texture and persistent stream of bubbles, it is pure delight at the end of a long family dinner.

For more recommendations on food and wine pairing, contact our wine experts at info@toasst.co