Chinese New Year's & Wine Pairing?

[unturtlesoup]

How many of us are familiar with the tired and slightly non-specific, if insulting adage, "aromas of litchee fruit and apricot, pairs well with asian cuisine," often found on gewürtztraminer labels?

While I am not disputing the "general" helpfulness of this claim to guide those searching for a quick food-wine pairing (akin to speed dating, as if "contractor" is a job description...), I am searching for a bit more of an exhaustive sense of what might work well with traditional southern chinese (Cantonese) New Year's menus.

Inspired by my own family's experience, we're talking "lucky seaweed" with dried shitake mushrooms, whole roast suckling pig figuring prominently, and possibly seafood dishes involving steamed fish with ginger and scallions, wok-fried whole scallops, and a crispy fried chicken.

my biggest dilemma is the pig---I'm currently thinking a white, with a slight oilyness, crisp finish, something to balance the mouth feel, and daresay I, "umami" of the roasted skin....

Sigh. Am I back at a gewürtz? Nooooo!

[dubchild]

I think there were some good wines suggested such as riesling and pinot gris, especially if they are a little sweet. I've never had "lucky seaweed", assuming it has seaweed and shitakes, try a chablis. I've always enjoyed oaked chardonnays with suckling pig, but I think someone mentioned there was a sweet component to the dish, so stick with the riesling or pinot gris. Ginger can work work with sauternes, and believe it or not, sauternes are beautiful with some fish and seafood. Fried chicken and cava is quite nice. I hope it works out for you.

[Royaljelly]

We recently had a 20+ person Chinese New Year dinner at our home, w/ the roast suckling pig as the centre piece. For a change, I decided on a sparking rose, which seemed to disappear first compared to the white and red that was sitting side by side on the table, along w/ a cooler full of beers. Mind you, my party was full of mostly inexperienced wine drinkers though. We also had other dishes like beef stew, chicken w/ mushroom, steamed fish, etc so it was hard to just pick one wine to match everything.

[estufarian]

Agree, sparkling is also a great choice.

[Hondapendragon]

I was just going to suggest champagne or cava

[Googs]

They'll probably move this to the wine board. You should definitely search their for expert advice.

While no expert, I'd say you should try the Narcissist Riesling by Megalomaniac. If that's not to your liking, perhaps a lightly- to unoaked Chardonnay.

[estufarian]

I use an Alsace Riesling or gewurztraminer.
An Austrian Gruner Veltliner should also work.
Similarly a Spanish Albarino.

[Googs]

Ooooh Albarino. I hadn't thought of that. Good choice.

[Charles Yu]

For Chinese roast suckling piglet. Since the accompaniment is usually granular sugar or Hoi Sin Sauce for the skin, I always pair it with a Kabinett or Spatlese German Riesling. So far so good!

[jayt90]

I had a Daniel Lenko reserve Riesling, 2006 last night with crispy Ho Ho pork and BBQ duck. Worked really well. Not as crisp or acidic as an Alsace Riesling reserve, but the nicest Riesling I've had from Ontario. Hopefully a more recent vintage is available.

[linalool]

im not sure how albarino fits into the mix. this is a lean, delicate, even somewhat 'green' white reserved for the bounty of the waters of Galicia. Oily and unctuous it is not. Lean and lively yes but it lacks any real 'weight' to be considered an appropriate partner for the dishes described above. Gewurz has weight, peceptible sweetness and overt aromatics. The problem I have with gewurz is that it is just too perfumed and ultimately distracting. Pairing on the basis of aromatics is problematic and flawed as it is and in this case the pieces just dont fit. Gewurz is full of geraniol (the aromatic compound that makes a rose smell like a rose and gewurz smell like a rose as well) and i just dont see how/where this makes any sense. if it was subtle...no issue, a pleasant nuance, but its like someone spraying chanel no 5 in your mouth every time 'round. How about Pinot Gris? Absolutely rich and golden. its characteristic lack of aroma makes it a great dining companion and very versitile. There isnt a white on earth that is as 'oily'. Maybe Marsanne from St. Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage but they are almost too much of a good thing. Like wearing pants without a belt, if that makes sense. Also, A tamed Muscat or a youthful Torrontes are good alternatives.

[Googs]

A Torrontes is more likely to go to war with the steamed fish and scallops than compliment them. By the time Pinot Gris or Grigio are appropriate, you may as well just serve water with a wedge of lemon. At least that flavourless liquid is free.

[estufarian]

HMM " It's lack ... of aroma makes it a great dining companion...." . Sorry, that statement doesn't work for me on any dimension.

With a meal containing many components it's very difficult to match every dish. My thoughts were to provide a 'central backbone' which would support the various flavours to be encountered and, equally important, not create any strong dissonances. Of course, cost enters into the equation too. It's easy to choose a great White Burgundy, if someone else is paying.
Pinot Gris is 'rich and golden'? And for oiliness many (most?) Californian and Australian Chardonnays have a greater 'oiliness (as mouth-feel) to me. In Ontario (as you know) the vast majority of pinot gris consumed is pinot grigio. Neither rich nor golden - neither are the common Alsace versions, but maybe a few Oregon (which are few and far between).

If I'm paying I would never entertain a pinot grigio - just too wimpy. If one wants Italian, maybe a greco di tufo, (where the underlying mineral flavour would provide the backbone), but that's a bit way out for someone asking a relatively simple question.

And I hope you get to try better albarinos than you seem to have had so far.

[linalool]

how does a chardonnay have any more backbone than pinot gris (and im obviously not talking about pinot grigio, either. it was too obvious to even mention that...i thought.) the original post was speaking of why it always gewurz served with asian cuisine so i thought i would stay in the ballpark. and why is greco ''way out'? too much for anyone to wrap their head around it other than you? why greco and not any of the other 1000000 varieties? is it so unique in its flavor profile that it warrants singling out? central backbone...hmmm. you are confused and vague. please expand and explain to the original poster about why gewurz has been the 'go to' grape. i think once you get it, it wil all sink in.

[Googs]

Greco di Tufo? Okay, nooow you're just showing off. LOL. Well done.