2024 Lunar New Year : 4 Suggestions for Food and Wine Pairing

As the Lunar New Year approaches, it's a time for festivities, family gatherings, and indulging in delicious food. We present 4 delightful food and wine pairing suggestions to enhance your Lunar New Year celebration and impress your family and friends during this auspicious time.

 

粵式清蒸海魚 — 「年年有餘」

Chinese Steamed Fish — "May there be bounty every year"
 

 

La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons  2017

Lunar New Year Price: HKD 280

 

農曆新年的聚餐上，清蒸海魚是不可或缺的一道粵菜。取其諧音，象徵著年年有餘的祝願。

 

蒸魚做法看似簡單，然而在材料和火候上有著極嚴謹的要求，使用簡單的調料，就可展現魚肉的鮮美和細滑質感，令其成為廣東人宴客聚餐經常出現的菜餚。

 

要搭配如此細緻鮮嫩的蒸魚，建議選取清香優雅並帶有礦物味的白葡萄酒，例如來自法國Chablis區的La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2017，此酒散發白花、煙熏桃子、青蘋果和青檸皮的香氣，帶礦物味，酒體絲滑，酒味優雅生動。葡萄酒的果香可襯托出薑蔥味魚肉的鮮嫩，而魚肉和蒸魚醬油的鹹香也可提升Chablis的礦物味，使酒更富層次。

 

Chablis區有40個不同的一級田（1er Cru），Vaillons是較為著名的一級田之一，這葡萄園的土壤由石灰石和黏土組成，賦予了葡萄酒獨特的礦物質風味。1er Cru Vaillons的葡萄酒往往具有良好的結構，口感豐富有層次，結構優雅和持久的餘韻。

Chinese Steamed Fish is a traditional must-have dish often served during reunion dinners or the New Year's Eve feast. Since "Fish" (魚) is played on word on "Yu" (餘), with an implied meaning of an abundance of wealth and prosperity.

While steamed fish may seem like a simple dish, it requires precision in ingredient selection and heat/time control. With minimal seasonings, it allows the freshness and smoothness of the fish to shine, making it a popular choice in Cantonese cuisine.

 

To complement this dish, an elegant and mineral white wine is recommended like “La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2017”. This wine offers aromas of white flowers, smoked peach, green apple, and lime peels. It has a silky texture, mineral flavours, and a sense of elegance and finesse. The fruity aromas of the wine beautifully enhance the freshness of the fish and match with the ginger and spring onion flavours. Moreover, the wine's minerality pairs wonderfully with the savoury notes of the steamed fish soy sauce.

 

There are 40 different 1er Cru vineyards in the Chablis region, and Vaillons is one of the more prestigious 1er Cru vineyards. the soils in this vineyard are made up of limestone and clay, which gives the wines their distinctive mineral flavours. the wines of 1er Cru Vaillons tend to be well-structured, with a rich, layered palate, elegant structure and a long, lingering finish.

 

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盆菜 — 「豐衣足食」

Poon Choi — "Having ample food and clothing"

 

BLANKBottle My Koffer, 2021

Lunar New Year Price: HKD 160 (750ML) / HKD 350 (1500ML) / HKD 1,000 (3000ML)

 

盆菜源於香港新界的圍村客家人，是每逢喜慶節日會享用的傳統菜餚。食物擺放有既定模式，如豬皮及枝竹等味道較淡的會放最底層；味道濃郁如炆豬肉會放上層，令下層食材可吸收濃郁醬汁，味味相連；最上層大多放些醬汁較少，自帶鮮味的食材如雞及大蝦，近年亦會加入較名貴的食材如鮑魚、花膠、海參及蠔豉等，賣相精緻體面，又可讓人先享用最好的食材，噱頭十足。

 

進餐時要有禮儀，筷子不可胡亂挑撥，需按照順序，從上至下吃。由最鮮美的海味、雞和蝦，到最後盡收盆汁精華、愈吃愈入味的蘿蔔和豬皮，才能嚐到盆菜獨特的層次和鮮味。

 

盆菜是一道薈萃百菜百味，共冶一爐的菜餚，若要配搭葡萄酒，建議選取以果香為主打但酒體較輕盈的紅葡萄酒，簡單清新的酒味更能夠平衡盆菜豐富的風味。「BLANKBottle My Koffer, 2021」以新鮮草莓和櫻桃香氣為主導，柔和的口感和清爽的果味，容易配搭盆菜中的各類食材並有解膩的作用，清新易飲；其釀酒師Pieter Walser形容為「令人有初戀感覺的葡萄酒」！

Poon Choi, originating from the Hakka people of Walled Villages in the New Territories of Hong Kong, is indeed a traditional festival meal with a unique layering of ingredients. The specific pattern of layering ensures that the flavours and sauces flow down to the bottom layers, allowing them to be fully absorbed. Lighter flavour ingredients such as pigskin and dried bean curd sticks are placed on the bottom layer. On the top, meat, seafood and expensive ingredients like abalone and sea cucumber are added.

When enjoying Poon Choi, it is important to follow proper manners and be polite. Instead of stirring everything up or randomly picking up food with chopsticks, it is recommended to eat the dish layer by layer. Typically, one starts with the freshest seafood, chicken, and prawns at the top, and then progresses to the next layer, such as radish and pigskin, until reaching the bottom of the dish. This way, the sauce can fully interact with and enhance the flavours of each layer, showcasing the unique and rich flavours of Poon Choi.

As for the wine pairing, a fruity and light- to medium-bodied red wine like "BLANKBottle My Koffer, 2021" is suggested. This particular wine has an aroma of strawberries and cherries, a soft texture, and fruity flavours. It complements the various ingredients in Poon Choi and creates a balance between the acidity in wine and the fatty elements, providing a refreshing drinking experience. The winemaker, Pieter Walser, describes it as "a wine with all the emotions connected to a first love!"

 

BLANKBottle My Koffer, 2021 Lunar New Year Price: HKD 160 (750ML) HKD 350 (1500ML)  HKD 1,000 (3000ML)

My Koffer 除了標準的750毫升，還有大瓶裝1500毫升和3000毫升的選擇，適合不同大小的聚會。強烈建議飲用前稍微冷凍，味道更佳。

BLANKBottle My Koffer, 2021" is available in standard 750 ml bottles, as well as large formats of 1500 ml and 3000 ml, making it suitable for parties of all sizes. To fully appreciate its flavour, it is recommended to slightly chill the wine before serving.