For the month of October until mid-February is the famous "hairy crab" season in Shanghai. Hairy crab, or Eriocher sinensis, is also known as mitten crab, and spends most of its life in fresh water, only returning to the sea for breeding. Hairy crabs require more than 70 days for spawning. The crustaceans favor breeding grounds with temperature and salinity fluctuations, which explains why millions of crabs crawl to the Yangtze River when the autumn wind chills the river and where the fresh and salty water meet. The chill signals the crabs to move less, bulk up with fat, and more importantly, to produce roe. Although the official season for hairy crabs opens in late September, Crab aficionados will patiently wait until mid-October to savor the fattest, most roe-laden female crabs. Today, the most famous area to harvest hairy crabs is Yangcheng Lake, northeast of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. The geological and ecological characteristics around the lake are the reasons why the crabs here are so different from others.

During the season of this famous delicacy, Jin Lu - The Chinoise Story has introduced a special hairy crab promotional menu. For those who are not familiar with this chain-enterprise, the Jin Lu is managed by the famous Singapore-based Tung Lok Group, which owns restaurants across Asia (Singapore, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, etc.). In my homeland Singapore, they own two of my favorite Chinese restaurants - Club Chinois & Noble House. In Greater China, besides Jin Lu they also own the well established My Humber House in Beijing.

According to ancient Chinese medicine, the crab symbolizes "yin", which is cold to your body. You require something "warm" (or yang) to counteract the cold, which explains why Hairy Crab is traditionally served with Chinese rice wine. I am however intending to break this tradition by pairing them with wines. Crab is a delicate dish. Its slightly fat/sweet aftertaste is a challenge to accompany with wines. After my food sampling at Jin Lu, I have come out with the following list of wines, which I am confident will not only go well, but will further enhance this flavorful, tasty dish.

ASC wine sommelier-Andy tan recommend:

Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling

Jadot Chablis or Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume

Guigal Condrieu

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve

Brown Brothers Chenin Blanc

Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo

Telmo Rodriguez Gaba do Xil

Carpene Malvolti Prosecco Scudo d'Oro

Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio