Wine Pairings for Chinese New Year + Favourite Traditions & Meals
Words: Alison Christ
Photos: Monica Tindall
Chinese Lunar New Year is quickly approaching, it’s the Year of the Wood-Snake. The wood snake signifies adaptability, creativity, and growth and promises profound change. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some profound change as long there’s a delicious glass of wine nearby. I’ve been blessed to have lived in many Chinese-dominant cities, including New York, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang. While the fundamentals of the holiday are the same everywhere, each place has unique traditions, rituals, and cuisine. I thought it would be fun to write about the nuances of each culture and, of course, find out which wines people enjoy.
Growing up in New York, my grandparents and I were obsessed with eating in Chinatown. I have always loved this time of year, especially the magical lion dances and the famous CNY Parade. Although back then I was naïve to the traditions and with food, I stuck to the NYC classic version of Chinese food, chicken with cashews, egg rolls, and spare ribs. None of these dishes are really eaten in Hong Kong or China, but I loved them as a kid. My Grandparents have passed on to a hopefully better place, so for me, CNY is a happy reminder of the love we shared for decades in NYC Chinatown. I’ve interviewed several people around Asia to find out their favourite part about CNY, and unanimously, the number one thing (besides food) is spending meaningful time with their family and friends.
I lived in Hong Kong for five years, during its glory days. My old boss and still good friend Luca Luise from Amorosso Fine Wines specialises in Italian wines. He hails from Italy and has spent the last three decades living in the amazing city of Hong Kong. My very first Chinese New Year outside of NYC was spent with Luca and our wine colleagues in Hong Kong. The day before our week-long holiday was to ensue, we shared a lunch together. A very typical HK meal with a round table and a dozen different sharing plates in the centre that spins around for ease of serving oneself. While this meal was over a decade ago, I distinctly remember enjoying a fresh, delicious Tedeschi Capitel Tenda Soave Classico from the Veneto. This was the very first time I ate chicken feet. Everyone at the table (all Chinese except for Luca and I) was giggling as they watched me attempt to devour the foot of a chicken. This was also the first time I learned about the coveted Red Envelope! These red envelopes, known as laisee in Cantonese and hongbao in Mandarin, contain cash, a symbol of prosperity, and are given out during CNY, weddings, and special occasions. Who doesn’t love an envelope filled with cash? In Hong Kong, this is a serious tradition and it’s expected to be given out. I haven’t seen it much in Malaysia, but my friends there say they do it as well; they call it Ang Pow. In Thailand (where I am currently), the Thai-Chinese community practices it with vigour.
Speaking of Thailand, two of my favourite Thai lady friends are the mother and daughter team and owners of FIN Wine Importing in Bangkok, Lily, and Ben. They also run Must Wine Bar (after all, we must have wine!). Lily and her mom are Thai and have Chinese heritage. Ben is a fantastic chef, and Lily is one of the most knowledgeable wine people I know. I ask Lily for her opinion on the subject at hand. She says, “I love Chinese New Year!!! I love the huge table of food, so much food, too much food (almost). Also, getting together with family because we don’t get to see each other much, and the red packets!” Lily’s favourite wine with CNY is Timorasso Derthona by Vietti in the Piedmont of Italy, it pairs amazingly with Mom’s dumplings (which are out of this world!). Vietti is also one of my favourite winemakers, and I’m going to try it with Chinese food soon!
After chatting with a few of my Malaysian Chinese friends, there’s an obvious theme – food, food, and more food! I had a chat with natural wine Guru and importer at Corevino, Guoyi. I love his enthusiasm, and I can tell he absolutely cannot wait to stuff his face in a few days. Guoyi tells me, “My favourite thing about Chinese New Year is always the food. Specifically the food that my family makes. These are dishes that are made only once a year. I know lots of preparation and planning goes into it (I don’t do much aside from eating and pouring wine). Some of these dishes may be familiar to some but I think a lot are recipes within my family, passed down over the past two or three generations. Lap Mei Fan (clay pot rice with preserved meats) is something that my in-laws make that is crazy good. Or our family’s version of Poon Choy, I love it. I am also looking forward to the ginger duck! There are so many more! This year, we are going to cut down on the beers and have more wines with our meals. I would pair these dishes with versatile wines. Things like Eric Texier’s 2021 Saint-Julien En Saint-Alban. This 100% Syrah is going to fly with the duck. I also want to test out Arndorfer’s 2023 Grüner Veltliner Strasser Weinberge for the lighter dishes. I heard Mom is planning to make her roast pork bone porridge. It’s going to need some acidity, and this 100% Grüner Veltliner might just do the trick!”
Kevin and his fiancé Michelle, also Malaysian Chinese, are avid followers of my wine-tasting events. They aren’t in the wine biz, but they love wine. They are in the pet insurance business and are famous for bringing their cat Oyen to my wine tastings (Oyen loves wine – just kidding, fish, he loves fish!). Kevin tells me, ‘My favourite part of CNY is the reunion night on CNY Eve. The family gets together, and we must have four main proteins, including fish, prawn, chicken, and pork, each symbolising prosperity. My absolute favourite is Grandma’s recipe of Pork Stomach Soup (not pork belly, actual stomach) with white peppercorns. The older family members are happy with light, easy wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Michelle and I love L.A.S. Vino ‘Granite’ Grenache from the Margaret River in Australia, it’s a basket full of fruit and flowers and will complement the spice from the peppercorns so nicely.” I have to agree, this wine is spectacular, a seriously yummy wine (only about 2200 bottles are produced each year). Kevin also mentions that he loves visiting every family member at their home throughout the 10 to 15-day celebration.
When I ask Monica, our fearless Yum List Editor-In-Chief, what she loves most about CNY, she tells me, “The Yee Sang, tossing Yee Sang with friends! I love the mess and the freshness.” Yee Sang is a very popular Chinese New Year dish specifically popular along the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia and Singapore). I’ve never seen it anywhere else. Have you? A traditional Yee Sang platter includes daikon, sweet turnip, salmon, carrots, peanuts, crackers, pickled ginger, and a variety of other colourful vegetables. It’s a beautiful dish about to be “destroyed” with chopsticks! Everyone stands around the table and uses their chopsticks to toss the salad – another symbol of prosperity. Everyone yells out traditional sayings that inspire good fortune – wealth, health, happiness and more. The higher you can toss the food, the more blessings and prosperity everyone will receive throughout the coming year. It’s really fun and messy, and I do love it as well. Monica says her favourite wine to enjoy during the toss is Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé. Ooolala Mon! There’s a reason why we get along so well; I also love some Champagne with my Yee Sang toss. It takes skills, mad skills, to manage my chopsticks and not spill my glass filled with my favourite bubbles, Champagne Pol Roger Brut.
Alejandra, one of my best friends, is from Venezuela. We’ve shared a countless number of wines together over the years. She currently lives in Kuala Lumpur but spent a decade in Beijing. Ale is a jack of all trades; she speaks, reads, and writes Mandarin; she’s a wife, a dog mom, and a newly baby mom and she also has a nail art salon called Latelle Nails in KLCC where you can have complementary wine on Fridays! You may need to use a straw while your nails are drying, but I won’t judge anyone for that! Ale says, “Northern China – Beijing vs. Southern China vs. Malaysia all have their unique traditions. My favourite part of CNY, from my time spent in Beijing, is the tradition of getting together and making dumplings in the middle of the night. Each person has a specific role to fill; one person is in charge of the dough, another is in charge of the filling, and someone else is rolling or, stuffing or boiling. Then, finally, we eat!” I love learning about this tradition from Ale as I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing it for myself, but hope to one year! In Malaysia, Ale enjoys gathering with friends for a huge feast and loves spicy Chinese dishes, such as off-dry Riesling or a light fruity Pinot Noir.
Penang has its own localised traditions, which I asked Michelle from Spiral Synergy about; she is an absolute expert in the local Penang traditions, especially the Chinese ones. I spent a year in Penang and learned so much about Chinese culture from Michelle; she is a fountain of knowledge and a great storyteller. The Penang Chinese have many traditions and rituals unique to the island, such as the Nine Emperor Gods Celebration and, of course, some distinctive CNY celebrations. Michelle tells me, “We live just across the road from a Chinese temple which also has an Indian shrine and a Chinese drum school on its grounds… so this season is the time to enjoy all the festive sounds (or buy some headphones)! The drum school musicians are practising to perform with a Lion Dance troupe; with this and the popular use of firecrackers and fireworks, the situation is reaching a fever pitch!
Michelle continues to tell me, “In Penang, we celebrate twice, first on the eve of CNY and second on the 8th night/eve of the 9th day, which we call Pai Ti Kong, the Jade Emperor God’s birthday. If anything, this celebration is bigger than the CNY day itself and goes on for longer than the “official” New Year’s Eve because it commemorates the day when the Jade Emperor god delivered the Hokkien people from a group of attackers after they had spent eight days hiding in a sugar cane field. Like every Chinese celebration, there are special foods and offerings, each of which has a particular significance; even after 18 years here on the island, I still haven’t quite got to the bottom of them all! As far as wine goes for me, it’s always rosé o’clock’! I couldn’t agree more with Michelle; rosé can beautifully accompany just about any Chinese dish imaginable.
Another Penangite is CC, the owner of one of my favourite restaurants in Penang, JuJu. CC tells me, “I look forward to Mom’s home-cooked feast on CNY Eve. She will serve ingredients from the land to the sea and always cooks more than the family can possibly eat in one sitting, which is awesome because the best part is the leftover dishes, which can be eaten for the next few days, and they taste even better than the first night. Unfortunately, my family doesn’t drink, so I remain sober for three days, which I suppose is a good time to detox. Once I return home to Penang, the wine of choice is usually a cold, refreshing Vinho Verde; since CNY is usually very hearty & we tend to overeat!” CC is a great chef and a humble man who wouldn’t tell me this in my interview, but he has one of the best wine collections I’ve seen in Malaysia, it’s a tiny cellar at JuJu packed full of gems and goodies from around the globe.
Whatever you’re eating and drinking this Chinese Lunar New Year of the Snake, I wish you and yours prosperity, love, happiness, and a glass full of Champagne! If you have any other fun CNY traditions of favourite wine pairings for Chinese New Year, please leave them in the comment section below.
*Special wine deals for The Yum List readers! In Malaysia, mention The Yum List and receive a 10% discount on wines when you WhatsApp +60 18 236 3952 to order wine for home or to ask for advice on wine pairings. If you’re looking for great wines in Hong Kong visit, www.amorossowines.com, in Thailand WhatsApp Lily at +66 65 964 6689 at FIN Wines, or in Singapore, visit www.monopole.com.sg
P.S. This is not a paid advertisement for wine importers, I am just sharing some of my personal favourites from around Asia. Cheers!
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