Joseph Spellman, the Master Sommelier for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, recommends the following Chinese food and wine pairings for your Chinese New Year celebration, or your last-minute weeknight dinner.

• Sparkling (or still) Rose with crunchy Kung pao chicken
• Dry Sauvignon Blanc with a salty wonton soup
• Sweet & sour pork with a feisty and refreshing unoaked Gamay
• Szechuan pepper steak or Mongolian Beef with a gentler, plush style of Paso Cabernet Sauvignon
• Beef with oyster sauce and Napa cabbage (recipe below), let’s spice it up with a Grenache based blend.

Looking to satisfy your Chinese take-out craving with something homemade? Try this simple Oyster Sauce Beef recipe from Robin’s Restaurant.

Oyster Sauce Beef with Napa Cabbage
Serves 4 – 6

Ingredient Set A

• 1/2 lb. beef tenderloin
• 1/2 T. each: soy sauce, arrowroot
• 1/2 c. oil for frying

• 2/3 lb. Napa cabbage cut into bite size pieces
• 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 thin slices ginger root

Ingredient Set B

• 1 1/2 T. oyster sauce
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 T. cooking wine or sherry
• 2 T. water
• Dash of sugar, sesame oil
• Dash of black pepper,  1 t. arrowroot

Preparation
Marinate beef and set aside for later use. Before frying, add 1 T. oil and mix so the slices of beef don’t stick together.

Heat the wok then add oil; stir-fry the meat slices until almost cooked. Remove. Remove the oil from the wok. Mix ingredients from Ingredient Set B. Reheat the wok then add 2 T. oil. Stir-fry the green onions and ginger root until fragrant. Add beef and Ingredient Set B mixture. Turn heat to high and stir quickly to mix. Remove and place on top of a bed of lightly steamed napa cabbage.