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What wine pairs with sushi? is an inevitable question when ordering sushi, whether at the counter, the table, or from your couch. There’s tea, cheap plum wine, sake, and even beer. But there’s another beverage that can enhance your sushi experience: wine. Wine can enhance the crystalline transparency of fish and take you on a flavor journey that other drinks cannot. Sushi is elegant and pure, and so should the wine.
Sushi’s diverse palate includes a wide range of fish flavors. Fluke is brighter, salmon roe is briney, and cooked eel is sweeter. Nori in maki or temaki adds deep smoky tones. A bit of rice vinegar in the sushi rice gives it a zing. The texture of tuna and salmon is smooth, whereas squid and shrimp are crisp.
The acidity in wine helps to marry the flavors of fish and grape. The variety of wine styles, dry, off-dry, light, full-bodied, sparkling, still, allows for endless pairing possibilities. To make things simple, I’ll break down sushi and wine pairing into two simple rules that will make the process painless and delicious.
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CONSIDER CONTRASTING FLAVORS
Yin and Yang are complementary forces. The philosophy exemplifies the idea of balance found in Asian culture and cuisine.
Finding the right wine for Asian cuisine, especially Japanese cuisine, can be difficult. Isn’t the food already balanced? Yes, it is, and when you pair wine, you should pick out a flavor or texture in the dish and pivot to the opposite side with your wine.
Tempura & Sparkling Wines
Shrimp tempura is a popular starter in Japanese restaurants in the US, with a light, crunchy batter surrounding plump, fresh shrimp dipped into a savory soy-based sauce. This dish has a crunchy texture, an ocean-like flavor from the shrimp, and a nutty-salty sauce.
The carbonation in sparkling wine acts almost like scrubbing bubbles on your palate, cleansing it of the sumptuous texture deposited by the fried batter, while the acidity in the wine stimulates your salivary glands, causing you to salivate. Salivating restores and refreshes, so the luxurious texture doesn’t leave your palate heavy after a few bites.
François Pinon Sparkling Vouvray Brut is a favorite with tempura. Vouvray, made from chenin blanc, is a great match for sushi because of its bright acidity and ability to bring out the ocean flavors in seafood. If you want to splurge, I recommend a true Champagne with tempura, or anything fried for that matter. Look for a Blanc de Blancs or a Brut Rosé.
That beautiful razor’s edge of mouthwatering acidity will have your lips smacking and your palate craving more dry and sweet wines AND fried deliciousness. My favorites are Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru and Bollinger Brut Rosé. And, to be honest, I recommend Champagne throughout the meal because it is one of the best food wines on the planet.
Riesling And Pinot Noir Works With Spicy
Consider the spicy kick of daikon, wasabi, or ginger. With the heat, off-dry red wine will pair best. I recommend riesling. I know riesling isn’t for everyone. “It’s too sweet!” they sneer. I’m here to tell you that when you’re eating spicy foods, you WANT your riesling to be sweet.
Let me ask a question first. Is cayenne and red pepper flakes spicy BBQ sauce? No, honey and brown sugar balance the spicy spice. Let’s go back to the riesling. Not only will it soothe your palate from the heat of the ginger or wasabi, but it will also improve the overall balance of food and Japanese rice wine.
The residual sugar in wine brings out the natural sugars in food, so the sweetness in the pairing comes from both the food and the wine. The residual sugar in a wine may be low enough that it tastes “fruity” rather than “sweet.” Riesling balances heat in a dish, allowing your palate to perceive it as milder.
Schloss Lieser Riesling Estate Feinherb and Heymann-Löwenstein ‘Scheiferterrassen’ Riesling Kabinett are two reliable rieslings. Both are on notable sushi restaurants’ wine lists. While the heat of Riesling is a great foil for the various sushi flavors and oily, rich textures, its purity of fruit flavors makes it an excellent foil for the various sushi flavors and oily, rich textures.
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TRY SIMILAR TASTES
When I approach this pairing principle, I aim to match the food and wine’s body. I pay attention to the cooking method, or lack thereof, because it determines how the food will taste. Palate-lightening raw foods and poaching or steaming cooking methods The Maillard reaction results in a richer, fuller palate experience when grilling or searing. (The Maillard reaction occurs when heat transforms proteins and sugars in food, creating new flavors, aromas, and colors. The Maillard reaction creates char on steak and toasty, malty flavors on bread.
Take note of your dish’s preparation method, estimate its mouthfeel, and choose a wine that is similar in weight and texture. Consult your sommelier or a trusted retailer if unsure. They’ll be wine experts (pun intended).
White Wine With Raw Fish
Pairing sushi like raw amberjack or steamed vegetable shumai pair well with lighter wines such as sauvignon blanc. When anticipating these supple, near-weightless foods, my palate craves bright, mineral-driven white wines with fresh, zippy acidity. Muscadet, Albario, and Chablis are all good candidates. My favorites are Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet and Christian Moreau Chablis, and Benito Santos Albario from Rias Baixas, Spain. These are consistent, uncomplicated, pure wines.
Each of these wines also has a saline sensibility that complements the oceanic flavors of the fish. Consider this: these wines come from areas near or with ancient oceanic deposits. All have a sea spray, marine quality that complements each other in both flavor and weight for a seamless, harmonious pairing.
Zinfandel & Grilled Fish
Grilled and seared foods have a distinct flavor profile. The crispy, slightly sweet anago or the deep, caramel-like notes from a sizzling-hot sear on otoro overwhelm a light and fresh wine. The wine needs to be full-bodied and able to stand up to the bolder, bigger “like with like” flavors.
A well-made California zinfandel pairs well with the browned, charred flavors of perfectly seared protein. Ridge’s Lytton Springs is fantastic with seared tuna — you’ll wonder where this wine has been all your life. Soon a second bottle and another round of fish will be on the table.
If you ignore this pairing principle, what happens? Consider this, a wine too light for heavier foods will taste nonexistent. Heavy wines can overpower light or raw foods. That Vinho Verde really didn’t stand up to my seared Rib Eye. You won’t go wrong if you match a wine’s weight and body to the food you’re ordering.
While wine isn’t usually on the menu at sushi restaurants, it makes a great pairing. The higher alcohol content of sake and the bitterness of beer can sometimes get in the way of the precision I seek with sushi. Your palate will be cleansed, your palate widened, and your flavor horizons expanded when you pair sushi with wine that matches its meticulousness and cleanliness.
Take a look at this article for help with Choosing the Perfect Riesling Wine for Any Occasion.
Final Thoughts About What Wine Pairs With Sushi
What wine pairs with sushi? is an inevitable question when ordering sushi, whether at the counter, the table, or from your couch. There’s tea, cheap plum wine, sake, and even beer. But there’s another beverage that can enhance your sushi experience: wine. Wine can enhance the crystalline transparency of fish and take you on a flavor journey that other drinks cannot. Sushi is elegant and pure, and so should the wine.
Sushi’s diverse palate includes a wide range of fish flavors. Fluke is brighter, salmon roe is briney, and cooked eel is sweeter. Nori in maki or temaki adds deep smoky tones. A bit of rice vinegar in the sushi rice gives it a zing. The texture of tuna and salmon is smooth, whereas squid and shrimp are crisp.
The acidity in wine helps to marry the flavors of fish and grape. The variety of wine styles, dry, off-dry, light, full-bodied, sparkling, still, allows for endless pairing possibilities.
If you have any questions about What Wine Pairs With Sushi? contact me today.
