Hairy crabs meet wine companions
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Few foods inspire such glee among Shanghai gourmets as the seasonal hairy crabs. Also known as mitten crabs these delightful fresh water crustaceans are essential autumn eating for locals and visitors alike. Each year when I write about these yummy critters I get an intense yen for the crabs, however this week I’m in Italy and can only ruminate over the beauty of a properly prepared hairy crab served with a synergistic wine. But rest assured that my first night back in Shanghai will be happily spent dissecting and consuming crabs with partner wines.
Historical documents first mention the eating of hairy crabs during the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC). Native to the coastal estuaries of eastern China from the border with Korea to southern Fujian Province, the consumption of hairy crabs is almost certainly more ancient. One of my favorite Chinese poets, the wine-loving Li Bai who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), wrote of the sublime pleasures of experiencing crabs with good wines. Let’s honor this venerable sage by taking a look at some ideal wines to pair with hairy crabs.
Shaoxing rice wine
My more traditional Shanghai gourmet friends favor an old huangjiu or yellow wine when eating hairy crabs. The best are the Shaoxing rice wines from the Shaoxing region in Zhejiang Province. These highly aromatic and velvety textured wines improve with age with the 10, 20 or 30 year old versions being wonderful companions to steamed hairy crabs. Another treat is enjoying an aged Shaoxing wine with hairy crab marinated in Shaoxing wine.
Some of the most reputable producers of Shaoxing wine are Gu Yue Long Shan, Tu Shao Jiu, Di Ju Tang and Kuai Ji Shan. There’s another wine that despite having radically different ingredients and production methods offers intriguing taste and texture similarities to a fine Shaoxing wine.
Sherry
Sherry is one of the world’s greatest and most inimitable wines. From the scenic and historic city of Jerez with a three-millennium history, these fortified wines are difficult and time consuming to make. The main grape used to make Sherry is Palomino, which is sometimes blended with Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel to make sweeter styles of Sherries. The first stage of making Sherries is the same as white wines, but when the special Solera aging process begins and neutral alcohol is added the wines take on their unique qualities. All Sherries must be aged three years in stacked rows of American oak casks that are stored in Cathedral like buildings with ample aeration.
Sherries come in many styles from sweet to dry and it’s the dry styles that pair best with hairy crabs. Manzanilla is the most delicate style of dry Sherry that’s aged under a very special type of flor or living yeast that only grows in the town of Sanlucar de Barrameda near the ocean. This straw colored, fresh and slightly salty wine goes very well with a wide variety of seafood including hairy crab.
Fino is a pale golden colored wine with more structure and weight than Manzanilla wines. More pungent specimens of hairy crab are especially good with Fino as the strong smell and taste of the crab doesn’t overwhelm the Sherry. Fino, like the Mazanilla, accentuates the freshness of the crab and acts as a palate cleanser. The yeasty nature of many Finos also adds further flavor dimensions to the crabmeat and roe.
Amontillado is a special style of Sherry that starts its life as a Fino Sherry and then goes through the oxidative aging process that bequeaths extra color, weight and complexity. This is the closest wine stylistically to old Shaoxing wines. The brilliant amber color and slightly oxidized deep and rich flavors make Amontillado one of the most pleasing of styles of Sherries to enjoy with hairy crabs. The wine also goes remarkably well with the vinegar dipping sauce. Look for top quality Sherry producers like Lustau and Gonzalez Byass.
Acidic whites
If fine old Shaoxing rice wines or Sherries don’t tickle your fancy, then pick a dry and acidic white wine. Two of the best with hairy crabs are Albarino wines from Spain and Chablis wines from northern Burgundy.
The lively acidity in Albarino white wines makes them natural partners to Shanghai hairy crab. Alternating bites of the crab and generous sips of wine heightens the performance of both. The wine also offsets the richness of the ovaries and roe in female crabs and white matter of the males leaving your palate refreshed and desirous of another mouthful. Good Albarino producers with wines available in Shanghai are Martin Codex Lagar de Fornelos, Adegas d’Altmira and Pazo de Barrantes.
Chablis wines from the cool climate of northern Burgundy offer an abundance of acidity that awakens and highlights the best qualities of the crab. Chablis wines are 100 percent Chardonnay but unlike many other Chardonnays from France and other countries, the wines of Chablis are not especially rounded or fruity. Instead, they are bracingly dry with attractive mineral, flinty notes.
Inexperienced wine drinkers often find them too acidic, but this is what makes them great companions to hairy crab. The purity of young Chablis and Petit Chablis wines that have spent little or no time in oak highlights the sweet natural flavor of the crabmeat while cleaning the palate. Recommended producers include Chablis specialists like Laroche and William Fevre and large Burgundy houses like Louis Jadot and Joseph Drouhin.
Region & Style at a glance
Varieties:
The principal grape in Sherry wines are Palomino with the Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel varieties playing supporting roles in sweet Sherries.
Key Term:
Flor is a living yeast inside the barrels of the Solera aging system that protect Fino and Manzanilla wines from oxidizing.
Where to buy in Shanghai
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