Enjoy Chinese New Year in London with these great bottles of wine
Today marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse and fifteen days of celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Red lanterns are hung and red, money-filled envelopes exchanged over dinners with friends and family.
Never shy of a reason to celebrate, London’s hospitality scene is going all out. Restaurants including Hakkasan (a selection of whose wines are pictured above) and Yauatcha City are creating bespoke menus with displays of Lion Dancers – including today at Yauatcha City if you are passing by at 7pm – while bars such as Shangri-La’s Gong Bar in the Shard have cocktail collaborations popping up this month.
Chinese food remains in the top two most popular takeaways in the UK, but what wine works best? It is traditional to serve fish for Luna New Year and Alessia Mandolini, head sommelier of the Hakkasan Group says, “one of my favourite pairings is our Chilean sea bass in honey with an oaked Chardonnay. The wine’s texture and gentle oak complement the richness of the fish, while its acidity keeps the pairing balanced and elegant”. She could be describing Cave de Lugny Les Charmes Macon, which is currently £3 off at Waitrose (£14.50).
Mandolini is quick to recommend a bright Grüner Veltiner from Austria for stir-fried noodles. “Its lively acidity, delicate spice, and clean finish complement the savoury flavours and light oiliness of the dish, enhancing the overall balance without overwhelming the palate”. If you are having noodles tonight, pick up a bottle of Winzer Krems Grüner Veltliner (Majestic, £12) with its crisp, white pepper finish.
Red wine with Chinese? Oh yeah!
A stalwart of any Chinese menu is crispy duck pancakes with rich plum sauce and finely-chopped spring onions. For this, Mandolini suggests a Pinot Noir. “The bright acidity helps cut through the richness of the duck, while the red fruit and gentle spice complement the sweetness of the hoisin sauce. A lighter, elegant Burgundy or a refined Pinot Noir works particularly well”. Our English pinots are gaining increasing recognition for elegance and flavour; try Simpsons Rabbit Hole (davywine.co.uk, £26.95) as a long-standing example of velvety refinement. Dermot Sugrue’s recently released Crouch Valley Pinot Noir 2022 (sugruesouthdowns.com, £65) is another intoxicating choice. Sugrue is known as one of the magicians of English wine and this complex bottle is the proof. Snap them up while you can!
BAO City was nominated last year for Best Casual Dining at Morning Wire’s Toast the City Awards and each lunchtime the place is buzzing, with unlucky hopefuls being turned away. Technically the restaurant chain, specialising in steamed, filled buns, is Taiwanese but the pairing principals are the same. The sharing plate of ‘midnight lamb bao’ is exclusive to the City branch and pairs well with its in-house Weeping Sake, which is refreshing, uplifting and specifically made to go with their buns. It comes in a cool little bottle, too, which makes it the clear winning choice.
Daddy Bao in Tooting has a concise and considered wine list and gets extra points as, when I was dithering over what to order, the staff offered us samples of the wines by the glass to help make up our minds. If you’re ordering hot and spicy fried chicken Bao, a glass of Italian Caparrone Passerina is ideal given its refreshing coolness and lemon sherbert zestiness. My favourite bao is slow cooked beef brisket and for this you want something plush and red-berry rounded. A bottle of Portuguese Herdade do Portocarro Cavalo Maluco (wineathome.org, £46.99) is a perfect choice with its rich berry notes and fine tannins.
It is the perfect month to enjoy Chinese food – so raise a glass to that Fire Horse. Gān bēi!
Top recommendations
Thamnus Pinot Noir 2023 – Hedonism, £45
A superb South African cool-climate Pinot Noir. Lithe with wild strawberries, complex with forest floor notes and spice. A friend bought this round last week, and it was the group’s favourite bottle. This delicately structured, silky red would be great with those crispy duck pancakes too.
Paul Jaboulet Aine Viognier – Tesco, £12
Had to double take at the price because this is a superb and accomplished viognier. Well balanced with a lovely, evocative perfume of white blossoms and stone fruit underpinned with a sophisticated freshness. A gently rounded white that would pair well with spicy noodles.
Tenuta J Hofstatter Meczan Pinot Nero 2023 – VINVM.co.uk, £23.25
Recommended at the Italian institution that is Knightbridge’s ‘Sale e Pepe’ to pair with both rich, tomato-sauced parmigiana di melazane and delicate red prawn scottati this wine was so good I tracked it down to buy for myself. Fine-tuned, elegantly fruity, an incredible food wine.