While the US recently celebrated Thanksgiving with turkeys and pies, Chinese celebrate this time of the year with Hairy Crabs, with the season running from late October to mid-December. Tradition calls for good quality crabs to be paired with Chinese yellow wine as its sweet finish complements the lightly sweet aftertaste of crabmeat. Yet a contemporary approach calls for something different.

An Unconventional Wine Match

Often overlooked for its versatility, Spanish Sherry bears similar qualities to traditional Chinese yellow wine. The complexity in sherry is on par with that of Chinese cuisine, which often features fermented condiments such as soy sauce, bean pastes, and particularly the prized black vinegar that is served alongside the sought-after hairy crabs.

In this article I look into the novelty and possibilities of matching the Spanish sherry produced by Spanish wine producer, Gonzalez Byass, with Chinese cuisine, highlighting the seasonal harvest of Hairy Crabs.

Dry Sherry with Appetizers

A Chinese feast often begins with an array of appetizers, small dishes to tantalize the palate. The Tio Pepe, with its five years of ageing in American oak barrels assures the development of a yeast layer called ‘flor'. The flor contributes to the sherry's distinctive character with its clean aroma. When served chilled its colour resembles pale gold with a green hue. The dry Tio matches well with dishes such as Barbecued Pork, while as a full-bodied tipple it pairs well with the juicy Steamed Minced Meat Buns with Hairy Crab Coral, with a peppery sensation that cuts through the richness of the juicy filling inside the steamed buns. Food pairing aside, the sherry also offers hints of almond with a crisp finish that helps cleanse the palate after the rich appetizer flavours.

While Sherry maybe considered an unconventional choice, one sherry in particular shares many similarities with the traditional Chinese yellow wine. The Alfonso, under oxidative ageing in American oak barrels for eight years, is sweet, with hints of nuts and vanilla. The Del Duque, another sherry under oxidative ageing, is more complex in both colour and taste. The colour, upon 30 years of ageing, takes on a deeper hue with a stronger, more potent aroma, reminiscent of cedar wood and toasted walnuts. It tastes dry at first, but quickly shifts into sweetness as one explores its depth of flavour. Both of these complex sherries match well with the light flakes of meat from hairy crabs and the slightly runny, uber rich crab coral.

Perfect Match of Crab and Sherry

For me, it is the rarest sherry from this producer that truly brings out the best in hairy crab - Apostoles. The elegant smoothness is the result of the blending of two grapes - the Palomino and Pedro Ximenez. Each of these grape musts are pressed, fermented, fortified, and aged separately before being blended, followed by the final ageing for at least 30 years. The sherry has strong notes of toffee in both the aroma and taste, yet is deliciously dry, blending into the delicate taste and fresh sweetness of the crab meat and buttery coral. The ultimate advantage of this sherry is its extraordinary versatility that goes hand in hand with the crabs, as well as the sweet black vinegar. Its molasses aftertaste also enhances the sweetness of the ginger tea that is traditionally served after one has had their fill of hairy crabs.

When seeking a pairing for traditional Chinese cuisine, Spanish sherry has long been considered an unorthodox long shot. Yet some of the best sherries have the complexity and depth of flavour that is also the signature of Chinese cuisine. Adventurous palates now have an alternative to experiment with when it comes to hairy crab pairing. Let me know how it goes.