Wine Guy: Prosperous pairings for the Year of the Horse

The Lunar New Year is almost here — it begins Feb. 17 — and its arrival heralds the year of the horse. The year of the fire horse to be specific, an auspicious element as it only comes around once every 60 years and is meant to bring urgency and intensity in addition to the horse’s usual associations with freedom, action, and breakthrough. Now, I’m not quite sure what wines to pair with all that, but if a Chinese banquet dinner is in your future here are three bottles ready to pair with the multitude of dishes.

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M. Chapoutier 2024 Belleruche Côtes du Rhône, France

($19.49, #476846)

Ethereal reds like Pinot Noir and Gamay are often cited as go-to’s for marrying with multi-course meals. They certainly remain great options, but if the mood calls for a sturdier red consider Belleruche. This perennial solid value Côtes du Rhône remains a quintessential all around red — plus its classic label looks elegant on the dinner table. It’s glossy, purple black colour begets an enticing bouquet of dark fruit, herbs, and sun-baked earth. Robust to start, there’s great structure and an underlying freshness throughout before a soft, balanced finish. Bring on the meatballs, the braised beef and Gai lan, and fried rice.

Bottom line: B+, Tasty crowd pleaser.

Whitehaven 2023 Pinot Gris, New Zealand

($20.99 on sale until Feb. 28, #198887)

Of course, one potential downside with serving only red wine with the banquet dinner is its potential challenge pairing with seafood and fish dishes. The obvious solution is to opt for white as well, and while Riesling often — and admittedly, reasonably — gets top billing for pairing with Asian seafood dishes, it’s also worth considering New Zealand Pinot Gris. A good example is Whitehaven’s Marlborough Pinot Gris, which showcases the more smooth, robust stance typical of the style. Showcasing floral, citrus, and orchard fruit aromas, it’s rich but fresh and in a word, opulent, concluding with a smooth, balanced and fruity finish.

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Bottom line: B+, Elegant but ready to go.

Haywire 2022 Lunar Red, B.C.

($28.88, available through the winery)

Nothing wrong with keeping things literal. Continuing their annual tradition of producing a limited-release bottle for the Lunar New Year, Summerland’s Haywire latest Lunar Red is now available. This Merlot-dominant red certainly looks the part, with a snazzy gold horse motif on a bold red background. The wine inside brings lush dark fruit, with some spice and underlying toasty, cigar box notes. The plush entry leads to a dry mid-palate with firm tannins before a lingering, dry finish. This celebratory red will bring joy to the tastebuds alongside duck dishes, braised beef or lamb hot pot, or even pan-fried dumplings.

Bottom line: B, Also goes great with red envelopes.

The Swirl: Spirited: A Winter Wine & Spirits Festival

On Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21 the Spirited: A Winter Wine & Spirits Festival is taking over Rocky Mountaineer’s The Station (1755 Cottrell St, Vancouver). More than 150 wines, whiskies, rums, tequilas, and more will be up for tasting. Friday and Saturday evening sessions start at 7 p.m. with tickets $45 (plus fees), and the Saturday afternoon session starts at 2 p.m. and costs $35 (plus fees). All events include a souvenir tasting glass and access to the exclusive bottle shop, for complete details head to letsgetspirited.ca/.