Celebrating Lunar New Year: Shunyi Cellars Pinot Noir with Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs【新年餐酒搭配特輯：天作之合之糖醋排骨與舜裔酒莊“重逢”黑皮諾】
Rich and succulent Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs pairs with “Chong Feng” To Reunite Pinot Noir/ 甜酸醇厚的糖醋排骨搭配舜裔酒莊「重逢」黑皮諾
Food：
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
Wine of my choice：
Shunyi Cellars “Chong Feng” To Reunite Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands California 🇺🇸 2019
Lunar New Year’s Eve falls on February 11th this year. Traditionally, people who are away from home would return and have New Year’s Eve Dinner with all the family members. It’s very similar to Christmas Eve here in the States. The celebration of Lunar New Year goes on a week or so and is one of my favorite Chinese holiday.
When I was little, back in Taiwan, the energy and the festivities during Lunar New Year were simply amazing. The impression is deeply engrained in my memory. I enjoyed helping my mom with chores in the house and going to the traditional market with her to get what we need before the Lunar New Year. Being a student back then, having a break with no homework and just enjoying all the fun with family and friends throughout the holiday (not to mention getting the red envelopes) were something I look forward to every year.
As I get older, leaving home to study abroad and now living in New York City, the opportunities to celebrate Lunar New Year with family in Taiwan are getting less and less. The vibe of celebrating Lunar New Year is simply not the same in the States. Only by going to Chinatown, I can sense the festiveness. Look at street vendors selling the New Year Scrolls, supermarkets putting out New Year appropriate produce, and people hopping from store to store shopping for New Years related items, and you will find almost all the streets in Chinatown are decorated with red lanterns. Ahh… this is what Lunar New Year should feels like.
This year is particularly unique, we won’t be able to celebrate Lunar New Year with families and friends in person, like many families. However, I have vowed to myself that we ought to celebrate during the hardest time. Only by doing this, we will truly enjoy and embrace the next time we all see each other.
My husband and I have agreed that we want to make Lunar New Year themed dishes to celebrate the holiday and one of them is the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs. Having this dish on the Lunar New Year’s Eve symbolizes things will get better as you progress through different phases in life. I said to myself, “This is wonderful! Let me find a wine to pair with the dish!” Finally, I picked “Chong Feng”, a Pinot Noir made by Shunyi Cellars, a new winery in California. The aromas and flavors of Pinot Noir would goes well with Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs. I will dive into the pairing below, but before that, let’s take a look at “Pinot Noir”, a delicate, hard to cultivate, and yet, irresistible grape variety we all know about.
The Grape: Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is not only a celebrated international red wine grape variety but with rich history. The first documentation mentioned under the modern spelling Pinot appeared in 1375 in France. It’s presumed that Pinot Noir’s birthplace is in Burgundy, France. Pinot Noir is hard to cultivate. Pinot Noir is a thin-skinned, early budding and early ripening grape variety. Therefore, extra care is needed. Pinot Noir is best grown in moderate and cool climate but susceptible to spring frost. Due to its thin skin, Pinot Noir is sensitive to downy mildews and powdery mildews. The thin skins and low levels of phenolic compounds of Pinot Noir results in lightly colored, medium-bodied and moderate tannins wine if compared to Cabernet Sauvignon.
What is the difference between old world Pinot Noir and new world Pinot Noir? Take Burgundy Pinot Noir for example, unripped red fruits are the predominate aroma and flavors. Delicate red rose with notes of violet, tomato and beetroot can be found too. Pinot Noir is usually aged in barrel. Hence, notes of licorice, clove, cinnamon, and star anise can be picked up in the wine.
When in youth, the acidity of Pinot Noir can be racy. The acidity and tannins of Pinot Noir would round out as it ages. Moreover, aromas of leather, mushroom and forest floor and damp leaf piles will slowly develop over the year.
Comparing Oregon Pinot Noir as an example of new world to Burgundy Pinot Noir, the biggest difference would be Oregon Pinot Noir carries opulent red fruit aromas and flavors, like strawberry, cherry and raspberry. Ripe black cherry and blueberry are the common character too. Oregon Pinot Noir usually has higher alcohol content and fuller-bodied than Burgundy Pinot Noir but with moderate acidity.
Generally, Pinot Noir is made as a single varietal wine. It is uncommon that Pinot Noir is blended with other grape variety. Furthermore, Pinot Noir is more than still wine. It’s a great source of making Champagne (along with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier) as well as rosé.
Pinot Noir is largely grown in France. High quality Pinot Noir can be found in a number of regions all over the world, including Baden in Germany; Carneros and Sonoma in California; Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago in New Zealand; Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, and Tasmania in Australia; Walker Bay in South Africa, and Casablanca Valley in Chile.
The Region: Santa Lucia Highlands
Santa Lucia Highlands, a long, narrow America Viticultural Area, is established in 1991, but the first commercial plantings started almost 20 years earlier than the establishment thanks to a group of pioneering farming families.
The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, across 18 miles in length and 1-2 miles in width, is located in the western side of Salinas Valley in Monterey, California. The tiny area covers 22,000 acres that faces southeast along the foothills of the Santa Lucia mountain range. There are 6,400 acres planted in vines on the eastern-facing mountain hillsides from 40-2,330 feet of elevation.
The AVA has strong Maritime influence; fog and wind from Monterey Bay moderate the temperatures in summer and provide long, extended growing season. In fact, the Santa Lucia Highlands have one of the longest growing seasons in California. Can you believe it? That means, grapes can ripen slowly and evenly, developing complex character and fresh acidity. The predominate grapes in Santa Lucia Highlands AVA are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 3500+ acres and 2200+ acres, respectively. Excellent examples of Riesling and Syrah can be found here as well.
Shunyi Cellars “Chong Feng” To Reunite Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands California/ 舜裔酒莊「重逢」黑皮諾
The Producer：Shunyi Cellars
Shunyi Cellars, established in the summer of 2019, is a relatively new winery in California. Founder, George Zhang and winemaker, Byron Kosuge share the same vision of wanting to make wine that truly express the terroir of California. So, they shake hands, and the journey began.
＊To learn more about Shunyi Cellars, please click “Pairing Chardonnay with Stir-Fried Shredded Pork with Yellow Chives”.
“Chong Feng” is the inaugural vintage of Shunyi Cellars. It was released to the market a few weeks ago. “We name this Pinot Noir ‘Chong Feng’, implying to reunite, is because reuniting with friends and family are our joyous moments in life that we treasure dearly. The purpose of crating ‘Chong Feng’ is to celebrate the unity that bond all of us together.” said by George Zhang, the founder of Shunyi Cellars.
“Chong Feng” is made by 100% Pinot Noir from Mclntyre Vineyard, regards as “sweet spot” located in the middle of Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. In order to express the terroir of Santa Lucia Highlands, the wine is made with minimum manual intervention with very little new oak used during aging.
Beautiful, bright, and transparent ruby red is the color of this Pinot Noir. Aromas of red berries, candy coated red cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, sage, cinnamon, and pink rose slowly rise up from the glass. Ripe red plum, nutmeg with a hint of earthiness show up on the palate. Thanks to its racy but balanced acidity, even though the alcohol content reaches 14.2%, the wine still tastes refreshing. Job well done, Mr. Kosuge. Decant for an hour before serving is highly recommended.
The Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs has the gorgeous dark red, amber color. I’m drooling just by looking at it. Before serving, Chef Bruce drizzles extra black vinegar on top of the pork ribs just to dress it up and enhance the flavor. There are three major elements that make this dish stands out: the sweetness of the sugar; the sourness of the black vinegar, and the salty and savoryness of the soy sauce. The acidity of Pinot Noir and the sourness of black vinegar are the co-stars in the pairing. The earthiness of Pinot Noir matches heavenly with the flavor of soy sauce and black vinegar. This bright, juicy Pinot Noir serve as a perfect agent to balance out the rich, decadent of the pork ribs. Man… I love this pairing. It’s unbelievably good. I don’t think I can find a better combination to beat the duo. This could count one of the best pairing I have ever did. Triumph!!!
＊Where to buy “Chong Feng” Pinot Noir: Click Here
＊Don’t miss the Lunar New Year special deal provided by Shunyi Cellars. Enter the promo code CNY2021 and enjoy free ground shipping for four bottles or more.
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【新年餐酒搭配特輯】：天作之合之糖醋排骨與“重逢”黑皮諾
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs pairs with “Chong Feng” To Reunite Pinot Noir/ 糖醋排骨搭配舜裔酒莊「重逢」黑皮諾
餐點：
糖醋排骨
餐酒：
舜裔酒莊 「重逢」 黑皮諾 Santa Lucia Highlands California USA 🇺🇸 2019
今年的除夕落在2月11日這天。按照傳統的習俗，所有的遊子都會在趕在這一天返鄉過年，回到家中與家人團聚，一起吃團圓飯。回想起小時候過年的情景，那濃濃的年味，可是深深的烙印在我心裡。
從年前開始幫著家裡大掃除，跟著媽媽上市場、辦年貨; 除夕當天，幫著媽媽準備拜拜及年菜，再跟著爸爸一起貼春聯等等。年節期間，有很多綜藝節目可以看，還不用唸書、寫功課; 最棒的是，還可以穿新衣服，領壓歲錢，跟表姐弟妹們一起玩，這是多麼棒，多有趣的一個節日啊！
隨著年紀增長，出國唸書到定居至紐約，回去過年的次數是越來越少，而在美國過農曆新年的年味也很淡薄。只有到了 Chinatown 還能感受到一點過年的氣氛。看著賣著春聯的小販，超市架上擺了許多年節才會出現的商品，看著辦著年貨的人們，在熙熙攘攘的街道上穿梭，這才有要過年了的感覺。
今年的情況特殊，我們跟很多家庭一樣都不能相聚。不過，我跟先生已經說好，這個年雖然沒有家人、朋友在身邊，我們更應該要把年過好，祈求來年的幸福與美好，期待相聚、重逢那一天的到來。
先生已計劃好要做一系列的年菜來應景，其中一道是糖醋排骨。排骨一節一節的，有節節高昇之意，寓意極好，做為年菜，非常合適。二話不說，我已經在腦海裡開始搜尋可以和這道菜搭配的葡萄酒了。最後選了美國加州的新興酒莊：舜裔酒莊的「重逢」黑皮諾來與糖醋排骨做餐搭，等會兒會在下面的章節跟大家分享選擇「重逢」黑皮諾的原因。
現在，先讓我們來了解一下「黑皮諾」，這個既難搞又嬌貴，卻又讓許多人傾心的釀酒葡萄品種。
葡萄品種：黑皮諾（Pinot Noir）
黑皮諾這個釀酒紅葡萄品種，它不僅世界知名，也是相當古老的釀酒品種之一。在法國，最早提及黑皮諾的文獻記載可以追朔至西元1375年。一般相信，黑皮諾是源自於法國的勃根第產區。 黑皮諾是一種很嬌貴的葡萄品種。為什麼呢？因為黑皮諾是屬於早發芽早熟型的葡萄品種，又喜溫帶氣候，發芽之際得注意預防霜害; 再加上果皮薄，抗病性弱，容易感染上霜霉病與白粉病。栽種上來說，要花特別多的心思來照顧。由於黑皮諾的果皮很薄，其酚類化合物（phenolic compounds）的含量較低，導致釀出來的酒酒色都比較淺，且帶有透明紅寶石的色澤; 酒體中等而單寧也比卡本內蘇維要來得柔和許多。
新舊世界的所釀造出來的黑皮諾多有不同。以勃根第出產的黑皮諾來說，其果味大多以未成熟的紅色水果為主，偶爾也有番茄與甜根菜的風味。高雅的紅玫瑰、紫羅蘭的香氣也常常出現在勃根第的黑皮諾裡。黑皮諾通常都會放在橡木桶裡熟成，因此，也會帶有甘草、丁香、肉桂、八角等香氣。年輕的黑皮諾酸度亮眼，陳年以後，黑皮諾的酸度與單寧相對柔和許多，而皮革、香菇、森林裡的植被及潮濕的落葉堆等等氣味則會慢慢地顯現出來。
如果舉美國奧勒岡州產的黑皮諾來做新世界黑皮諾為例子的話，奧勒岡州產的黑皮諾則帶有較濃郁成熟的紅色水果風味，例如，草莓、櫻桃及覆盆子; 也會有成熟的黑櫻桃及藍莓等果香。酒體較勃根第黑皮諾來的飽滿，酒精濃度也比較高，但就酸度而言，奧勒岡州產的黑皮諾是比較低的。
黑皮諾大多都作為單一品種釀造，幾乎不和其他葡萄品種做混釀。除了能做成紅酒之外，也是釀造香檳及粉紅酒很重要的葡萄來源。
黑皮諾除了在法國勃根地大量種植外，在德國的Baden、美國加州的 Carneros 及 Sonoma、紐西蘭的 Martinborough, Marlborough 及Central Otago，澳洲的Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, and Tasmania，南非的 Walker Bay 及智利的Casablanca Valley 等地所種植的黑皮諾，質量也相當的好。
產區：聖盧西亞高地（Santa Lucia Highlands）
形狀狹長的聖盧西亞高地美國法定葡萄種植區是在1991年正式成立的，但在1970年代便有一群看好這塊土地的果農們來到這裡種植葡萄。聖盧西亞高地美國法定葡萄種植區座落於加州蒙特利薩莉納斯山谷的西邊，全長約莫18 英里，寬約1-2 英里，涵蓋了聖盧西亞山脈山腳下東南面向的地塊，總面積共有22,000英畝。目前只有6,400英畝種植葡萄。聖盧西亞高地美國法定葡萄種植區受到了強大的海洋型氣候的影響，從蒙特利灣吹進來的海風及霧氣緩和了夏天炎熱的氣候，並且延長了葡萄的生長季節。聖盧西亞高地可是在加州地區擁有最長的生長季節的地區之一呢！因此，葡萄結果後，果實能緩慢、均勻的成長，並持續的保持果實的酸度。在聖盧西亞高地美國法定葡萄種植區種植最多的便是黑皮諾，總共佔地三千五百多英畝。第二名是夏多內，共有兩千兩百多英畝。由於氣候條件適合，麗思玲及希哈的種植有增加的趨勢。
酒莊：舜裔酒莊
舜裔酒莊是一個新興的加州酒莊，成立於2019年的夏天。創辦人George Zhang 協同美籍日裔的釀酒師 Byron Kosuge一起打造他們心目中的最能展現加州風土的葡萄酒。
＊想看更多關於舜裔酒莊的介紹，請參閱「人因相思，情長韭」這篇文章。此篇文章會有更詳細的介紹。
「重逢」黑皮諾是舜裔酒莊的創始酒款之一。創辦人George Zhang 說：『會幫這款酒取「重逢」是因為當我們與家人、朋友團聚的時刻，往往都是我們生命中最快樂、也最被珍惜的時刻。我們希望在這樣的時刻裡，「重逢」黑皮諾能將大家的感情連在一塊，同慶相聚的美好時光，創造令人難以忘懷的美好回憶。』
「重逢」是使用來自於聖盧西亞高地美國法定葡萄種植區中的黃金地段 Mclntyre Vineyard 的黑皮諾來釀造的。製作這款黑皮諾的過程中，是以最自然的方式釀造。陳釀的過程中，只使用了少量的新橡木桶，不過份地妝點而做成了這款只屬於聖盧西亞高地在地風味的黑皮諾。
這款「重逢」在杯中閃耀著透亮的紅寶石光澤，晶瑩而剔透; 紅色莓果的芳香中透著包裹著糖衣的紅櫻桃的香甜，小紅莓、紅石榴、鼠尾草、肉桂及粉紅玫瑰的清香自杯中裊裊而上。酒在口中繞了一圈，立即被紅色莓果們包圍，甜甜的紅肉李子，肉豆蔻、微微的土質氣息，則是緩緩的口中蔓延開來。雖然有著14.2% 的酒精濃度，但飲來完全不滯膩，反而生津開胃。這完全得靠酸爽、高質量的酸度才能帶來如此的平衡感。釀酒師Kosuge 先生的功力可見一斑。建議開瓶醒一個小時之後再飲用，風味更佳。
Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs/ 糖醋排骨
先生做的這道糖醋排骨閃著深紅琥珀的光澤，光是用眼睛看就叫人食指大動。上桌前再額外點上一些香醋，這才叫畫龍點睛。這糖醋排骨吃起來是甜酸醇厚，鹹甜中帶著微微的酸，排骨軟嫩香甜，讓人ㄧ吃了還想再吃。搭配「重逢」黑皮諾一起飲用，葡萄酒酸爽的酸度搭上了香醋的酸是兩相媲美，不相上下。黑皮諾裡的土質氣息搭上香醋的風味，其契合度是叫人拍案叫絕。正覺得這糖醋排骨吃來稍微膩口之際，「重逢」一入口，是既去油又解膩，還神奇地強化了葡萄酒裡的花香，實在是太美妙了！這個餐酒搭配真的是天作之合、天生一對。兩者加在一起後所產生的化學變化是妙不可言，這也是餐酒搭配中的最最至極的美妙之處。
這麼棒的年菜餐酒搭配組合，你還在等什麼？還不快來試試看？
最後，要趁這個機會跟大家拜個年，祝福大家牛年行大運，牛轉乾坤，鴻運當牛！
＊「重逢」黑皮諾 這裡買
＊年節期間特別限定：買滿4瓶或4 瓶以上，皆能享受免運費！機會難得，敬請把握。折扣碼在此：CNY2021
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