Ring in the Chinese New Year with Great Wines

Chinese New Year is quickly approaching and no fine meal is complete without fine wines. Pondview Estate Winery, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, offers a couple of great wine and meal-pairing options below. Award-winning icewines are an ideal complement to the Reunion Dinner.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. — Renowned for raucous celebrations complete with fireworks and elaborate parties featuring dragons that are fitting the welcoming of a new year, the Chinese New Year is also a time of great feasts.

The traditional Nian Ye Fan — a family Reunion Dinner celebrating the turning of the lunar calendar — is a vast spread that includes chicken, pork, fish, dumplings and rich desserts. Putting the right wines on the table will take a dinner marking the Year of the Monkey to the next level.

“The rich and decadent desserts of the Reunion Dinner need a similarly complex and delicious Icewine,” says Marcel Morgenstern, a Sommelier and Director of Sales at PondView Estate Winery. “The sweet and textured flavor of a Vidal Icewine is versatile enough to create a new food experience with most any dessert you place on the table.”

PondView’s 2014 Vidal Icewine was recently awarded the Decanter Asia Wine Awards regional trophy for the Best Sweet Wine in North America — among the most prestigious decorations at the Decanter Awards — and it took home a double gold from the China Wine & Spirits Awards. It has intense aromas of apricot and citrus marmalade, with honey flavours and tropical notes of mango, baked pear and apricot jam on the palate followed by a lush, lingering finish.

But the wine list can, and should, extend beyond dessert. A refreshing Pinot Grigio is a nice balance for fish, which is typically the centerpiece of the Reunion Dinner. The ideal pairing for chicken is a nice Gewürztraminer Riesling, which is also a great match for the fish and, with hints of tropical fruit and lychee, spicy Asian dishes; the fruitiness of a Pinot Noir pairs well with Asian spices on pork and for any red meat on the table, pour a bold red such as a Cabernet Merlot.

“No fine meal is complete without fine wines,” says Marcel. “The right pairing will enhance flavours on your palate and bring new taste sensations with every bite and sip.”

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About PondView Estate Winery:

Drawing on more than three generations of winemaking experience, PondView Estate Winery is one of the newest additions to the Four Mile Creek appellation in the heart of Niagara’s wine country. Family owned by Luciano and Adriana Puglisi, PondView crafts exceptional Ontario VQA wines rooted in an Italian heritage. Luciano’s enthusiasm and respect for the winemaking process, alongside his dedication and commitment to excellence, earned him the prestigious title of Grape King in 2008, awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture to the finest vineyard operator in Ontario. The secret to the success of PondView Estate Winery is the long-held belief of the Puglisi family: Great wine is a harmony of earth and vine.