We should propose a toast to the person who first discovered the pleasure of eating crab, for this shellfish delicacy is certainly one of life's greatest gifts. In China, mid-September marks the beginning of the season for one of the tastiest of these hard-shelled creatures: Chinese mitten crab (also called hairy crab). This crustacean delight is traditionally paired with Chinese yellow wine, but the benefits of this combination are not limited to gustatory pleasure alone.

Many traditional customs in China have their own wisdom, and what to drink with mitten crab is not immune to this. Chinese people, especially those living in the regions south of the Yangtze River, have eaten crab with yellow wine for ages. Yellow wine, which first appeared in China over 3,000 years ago, is made from rice, and it is a little sweeter than most Western white wines.

"The area below the Yangtze is teeming with mitten crab, and local people have always drunk yellow wine with this seasonal delicacy," Zhu Kai, CEO of Chinese online crab dealer Delicious Crab Web, told the Global Times.

While many gourmands know to pair a light-colored wine with shellfish, this combination of crab and yellow wine is not only ideal in terms of flavor, it's also good for the body.

Cheers to good health

Crab is not only delicious, but it is also very nourishing, making it a culinary treasure.

"Crab contains the five flavors all on its own," said Chen Wei, Web specialist for Shao Yigang Alcohol Industry in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. "It's already very yummy without any seasoning."

Meanwhile, as it is low in fat and high in protein, crab is a rare delicious source of nutrition that doesn't pack on the pounds.

However, as with everything, it also has its downside. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), crabmeat is high in yin energy, which has a cooling effect. TCM practitioners recommend eating no more than three of these little guys in one sitting, no matter how much you want more, to avoid causing harm to the intestines and stomach. As not everyone can resist overindulging on a crab feast, there is something that can be taken to counteract these effects.

"Crab is of cold character, which belongs to yin, while yellow wine is of warm character, which belongs to yang," Zhang Qicheng, dean of the School of Management of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, told the Global Times. "Match the cold with the warm, and you balance yin and yang. This is beneficial to our bodies."

Shu Lan, general manager of the Jiujiang Branch of Zhejiang Youming Industry Ltd., which sells mitten crabs, knows the side effects of her main product after many years in the industry.

"Crab goes best with yellow wine. People with weak digestive systems often experience stomach aches and even diarrhea after eating crab," she told the Global Times. "But if you drink yellow wine with crab, these symptoms can be alleviated or avoided altogether."

 Shu also warned that beer is the worst beverage to drink with crab.

"Beer tends to decrease the function of the intestines and stomach, making it easier to suffer gastroenteritic problems," she said.

"Crab is rich in purine, and beer has an abundance of nucleic acid and purine," said Zhu Sixu, director of the Alcohol Guild of Guangdong Province. "Both nucleic acid and purine metabolize into uric acid, the primary cause of gout."

It's all about the taste

When it comes to sitting down to a beautiful crab dinner, most people are chiefly interested in nothing more than great taste.

"Anything sipped alongside crab must have a refreshing quality to it, so a yellow wine that has been aged three to five years is ideal," said Zheng Guimiao, vice general manager of Su Xiege Hairy Crab Co.

Good crabmeat is tender, fleshy and fresh, so steaming is an ideal way to preserve its delicate flavor. If you prefer to mask any trace of fishy odor, just add a little ginger to the steamer basket. If some of your guests don't like ginger, this is no problem.

"Fine yellow wine has a strong taste that easily covers up ginger, which many people don't care for," Zheng told the Global Times.   

In China, yellow wine is traditionally enjoyed at room temperature. Many Chinese place a bottle of yellow wine in warm water to raise its temperature. According to Zhang Qicheng, this practice not only serves to warm the stomach, it also cuts the intensity of a fishy taste on the tongue.

In addition to warming the bottle in water, another recommended method to achieve the ideal temperature is to boil the wine with a few Chinese wolfberries, then allow it to slowly reach room temperature.

Zheng also advised readers to mind the order in which the wine and crab are consumed. "Generally speaking, it is better to take the wine after the crab cream [the reproductive and digestive glands, regarded as the best part of a crab] and before the flesh."

Navigating a wine list

In addition to Chinese yellow wine, Western white wines are also very enjoyable with crab, but it's generally a good idea to steer away from reds when eating this shellfish.

"Red wines contain too many tannins," Shu Lan told the Global Times. "When red is taken with crab, the flavors of both the wine and the meat are ruined, and this may even lead to gastrointestinal discomfort."

"Most reds are not suitable for crab, or most any seafood for that matter, as they can bring out the fishy taste of the seafood," said Qian Rui, ISG International sommelier.

 But even if you always pick a white when eating seafood, you may not know how to choose one that pairs perfectly with a crab dinner.

Here are a few rules of thumb for choosing wine to accompany Chinese mitten crab. According to Qian, white wines that are higher in alcohol, such as Spanish sherry and wines from Roussillon in southern France, are preferred as they are similar to Chinese yellow wine. Also, the acidity of the wine should be high so as to counter any fishy taste in the crab as well as the oils in the crab cream.

"Also, the sour flavor in white wines can bring out the umami in the crab," said wine taster Shi Dongxu.

"In order to honor the sweet taste of the crab, pick a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or a Riesling from Alsace," suggested Deng Zirong, chief wine taster at the Galaxy Macao Hotel. "Also, stay away from oaked Chardonnays since they tend to overpower the taste of seafood."

About yellow wine  

Before you rush out to stock up on Chinese yellow wine, take a moment to learn a bit about what to choose from the wide selection you are bound to find. Some of the most popular  types of yellow wine include Yuanhong wine, Jiafan wine and Huadiao wine, which are all from Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province. Huadiao wine, perhaps the best known of these, is in fact a bottle of Jiafan wine that has been aged for a few years. Brands like Guyue Longshan, Kuaiji Shan and Ta Pai can be found in every supermarket and street stand across the country, as well as online shopping site taobao.com. Depending on how many years the wine has been aged, prices range from a few dozen yuan to the thousands. Plenty of cheap choices can be found in supermarkets, and they will still taste very good with crab.