THERE may not be a Jools’ Holland Hootenanny in sight, but this weekend the Chinese community will be showing how to celebrate New Year with aplomb as they see out the Year of the Rabbit, heralding the Year of the Dragon.

Banquets will abound; but what to drink with Chinese food?

Perhaps some would answer Gewürztraminer or Riesling.

But that’s like saying all English people eat chips. Chips with everything. Nonsense.

Before you go down the aromatic white wine route, pause and ponder.

This week I came across the website www.108chinesepairings.com by CH’NG Poh Tiong. He explores China’s immense culinary heritage in an e-book (just register, and browse) and suggests wine alongside. OK so bullfrog may not be your bag, but ribs with a fruity shiraz just might be.

Where to start. With a steaming dish of prawn wontons perhaps? Try with a chardonnay; I’ll invite along my favourite chablis to herald this new wine column. You’ll get to know me quite well I expect. The chardonnay roots in Chablis weave through ancient seabeds, making the golden-straw nectar ideal with fish. Try Les Domaines Brocard Organic Chablis 2007 (Marks & Spencer £14.99).

Next: Spare ribs? Teeth-ripping sticky toothpick more-ishness with a glug of South African shiraz, with notes of spice and pepper. One of my pre-Christmas buys was the smoky and brambly Zalze Shiraz / Mouvèdre /Viognier 2010 Western Cape (Waitrose, £7.49 but down to £5.99 from January 25 until February 21) which would be perfect.

Crispy duck can live with a good fruity red, such as pinot noir. A cheery little raspberry tapped me on the nose as I opened Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir. It’s being delisted, so all stock is being sold off at £9.99. Or how about Tasmania’s Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir with ripe plum and cherry flavours and spicy hints (Cork’s Out, Heswall, £12.99)?

Sea bass sizzled with ginger and chilli would marry perfectly with an off-dry white such as Gewürztraminer or Riesling. Now I’ve never been a fan of either; but as part of my scientific research into this column we went for a Chinese and amazingly the wine list in our back-street destination didn’t contain either. I missed them. My sea bass was unpaired, like a lost soul (pardon the pun).

However, I had tried a little Asda Extra Special Gewurztraminer 2010 (£7.87) with some ginger-tingled stir-fried vegetables earlier in the week. Its whisper of icing sugar, dusted with Turkish delight, settling down with me, the vegetables and a nature documentary.

Also in my glass this week ... the last of my Christmas case of Collezione di Paolo Bianco Vergine 2010. I savoured each sip of this fresh ‘white chianti’ from Tuscany. Oh I’ll miss it. Well, actually I won’t because a wine is not just for Christmas so I’ll order more (www.laithwaites.co.uk, from £7.29).

Also on my plate this week … a simple roast chicken with a gravy made up of all those scrunchy nobbly bits left in the tin. It deserved a hearty white or medium red, so we had Chianti Villa Marnia 2008 (£7.75, Scatchards WineTime, Great Howard Street). It had a lovely ruby-red colour with a bouquet of cherries and brambles.