Many people who enjoy sushi prefer to go the whole nine yards and pair it with traditional rice wine. Commonly referred to as Sake (pronounced sah-Kay), this traditional Japanese wine is made with fermented rice. Unlike other wines, sake can be enjoyed hot or cold, depending on your personal preference.
When you’re eating sushi, a dry riesling will pair best with the meal. Are you ordering something hot like a tuna tataki with spicy ponzu? Then an off-dry Riesling is the perfect pairing for that dish. Sweeter wines will cut the spice and cool your palate.
Rosé from Provence is very dry with bright acidity, slate minerality, and notes of strawberry, making it an excellent pairing for sushi. It pairs particularly well with tuna, salmon, and the crab in California rolls – which makes sense because, in its hometown of Provence, it’s often paired with fish and seafood.
Does white wine go well with sushi?
If you aren’t a fan of white wine, though, you aren’t limited to it. Some argue that a medium body red wine works well with a tuna, because of the natural oils; sauce preparations too, like a heavy wasabi cream, can help to sushi hold up to red wine. In general, though, sushi is a natural match for white wine.
What is the best beer to pair with sushi?
Most experts suggest, for beer pairings, a lager or other light beers. Since beer tends to feel and taste a bit heavier than some wines and is also starchier, your options are naturally a bit more limited. Another alternative to wine pairings with sushi is Sake.
What do you drink with sushi?
When sitting down to order sushi, be it at the counter, the table, or from your couch (no judgements!), the inevitable question of “What do I drink with it?” comes up. There are the usual suspects, such as tea, inexpensive plum wine, sake, or even beer.
What color wine goes with sushi?
For sushi, sashimi or other makis based on white fish, you can choose a lively Chardonnay with woody notes. For more fatty fish such as salmon, you may prefer a dry white like a Mâcon or a Chablis. A plate with a variety of fishes will find a good harmony with a floral white wine like a sauvignon, or a Riesling.
What alcohol is good with sushi?
With this guide, you can become an expert at beer and wine pairings that will bring out the very best of your sushi dishes.
Does Cabernet Sauvignon go with sushi?
“Tannin in a red wine can pick that up and make it taste even more buttery.” His go-to is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Domaine Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, since “it also goes so well with the iron-like edge that tuna brings.” Red wine aside, Smith’s all-time favorite wine/sushi combo is Grüner Veltliner with squid.
What do Japanese drink sushi with?
Best Japanese Drinks to Pair With Sushi
- Whiskey. In the West, whiskey is considered to be a strong alcoholic drink that’s more appropriate after dinner.
- Umeshu. Umeshu is a type of Japanese liquor made from Ume plums (aka Japanese apricot) soaked in alcohol and sugar.
- Beer.
- Sake.
Is beer or wine better with sushi?
Remember: The lighter the beer, the more the sushi flavors are complemented, rather than overpowered. If you prefer a glass of wine with your sushi, try a Riesling—especially with a spiced tuna roll.
How healthy is sushi?
Sushi is a very healthy meal! It’s a good source of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids thanks to the fish it’s made with. Sushi is also low in calories – there’s no added fat. The most common type is nigiri sushi – fingers of sticky rice topped with a small filet of fish or seafood.
Does champagne go well with sushi?
Champagne goes well with everything from strawberries to caviar, but it might surprise you that it also goes well with sushi. The bubbles can help enhance the flavor of the sushi as well as assist in cleansing the palate after each bite.
Is Chardonnay a sweet wine?
Put simply, Chardonnay is typically produced as a dry white wine, as opposed to sweet, and is often medium- to full-bodied. But this doesn’t mean there isn’t any sweetness to speak of! It’s important to keep in mind that ‘sweet’ can mean different things for different people.
What kind of wine goes with salmon?
BASICS TO PAIRING WINE WITH SALMON
Full-Bodied White Wines – As a general rule, rich oily fish like Salmon pair wonderfully with full-bodied white wines like oak-aged Chardonnay, Viognier, Marsanne, White Rioja, White Burgundy, and White Pinot Noir.
What is Macon wine?
Macon Wine
Mâcon is the generic regional appellation for red, white and rosé wines from across the Mâconnais sub-region of southern Burgundy. In contrast to location-specific appellations like Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâcon AOC wines are representative of a particular quality level, rather than a particular terroir.
What is Japanese saki?
sake, also spelled saké, Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Sake is light in colour, is noncarbonated, has a sweet flavour, and contains about 14 to 16 percent alcohol. sake.
What wine goes with Japanese food?
Champagne, especially Blanc de Blancs, is excellent because it counteracts aggressively fishy flavours. And the Japanese Koshu grape works well because the grape’s thick skins make the wines lightly but not excessively chewy – and, like raw white fish, its wines have a level of zen neutrality.
What is the best beer to pair with sushi?
Most experts suggest, for beer pairings, a lager or other light beers. Since beer tends to feel and taste a bit heavier than some wines and is also starchier, your options are naturally a bit more limited. Another alternative to wine pairings with sushi is Sake.
What do you drink with sushi?
When sitting down to order sushi, be it at the counter, the table, or from your couch (no judgements!), the inevitable question of “What do I drink with it?” comes up. There are the usual suspects, such as tea, inexpensive plum wine, sake, or even beer.
Do wine and Sushi Go Together?
With sushi and wine pairings, we have to consider everything, which includes not only a variety of seafood but also rice, vegetables, and seaweed. Overall, sushi’s profile is far more salty and diverse in flavors and textures than fish, so while some of the wine pairings with fish may partially overlap, they cannot address sushi as a whole.
The 12 Best Wines to Go With Sushi
- Treating yourself to a night out at a top sushi restaurant is possibly on your list of favorite things to do.
- You might however still be searching for the best drink to complement your meal.
- Everyone you speak to will have a different opinion on the matter.
Some might suggest beer while others will stick to a more traditional rice wine.But, what if you’re a wine person?Can you successfully pair wine with sushi?
While many sushi aficionados will attempt to steer you away from pairing wine with sushi, siting overpowering and contrasting flavors as the reason.But, just how true is this?And, if you decide to drink wine, does it matter which type?How will you know which option will complement rather than contrast your meal?
Should You Pair Wine with Sushi?
- Let’s face it, some drinks just don’t go well with certain food choices.
- While others work so well together that it makes you think they were designed that way!
- Many seafood aficionados might tell you that red wine is a bad match for any sushi platter.
The reason for this has to do with the high tannin levels in red wine.However, wine lovers shouldn’t be discouraged!The good news is, there are wines, both white and red, that will work perfectly with your sushi dish.
The trick is to know which types of sushi to pair with which wines to accentuate your flavor expectations.
Wine and Sushi – How to Pair Them Correctly
Sushi is made with a whole host of different ingredients, each with its own unique flavor. A range of spicy sauces adds more tantalizing flavors to the dish. These combinations of flavors combined with a wine that’s too acidic or too sweet could end up ruining your dining experience.
A Few Basic Sushi and Wine Principles
- When it comes to wine, there are a few tips you should consider. Let’s review a few of them.
- Always pair raw fish with white, sparkling or even Rose wines.
- In general, stronger red wines have a higher tannin level which adds a bitter taste in combination with sushi.
- Whiter, lighter wines have a greater acidity, making them a much better option to prevent a sharp bitter taste contrast.
- Avoid any wine that’s too sweet as that will overpower the tangy sauces often added to sushi dishes.
- If your sushi platter has a variety of fish with different flavors, you might want to opt for a white wine with a floral or fruity hint.
- Fatty fish types such as salmon will pair best with a dry white.
- Generally, white fish is served with a white wine with woody notes.
Types of Wines to Pair with Different Types of Sushi
As with wine, there are a wide variety of sushi dishes. The different flavors in sushi require specific wines to complement the flavors. Some of the more popular options are listed below.
The Traditional Option
Rice Wine
Many people who enjoy sushi prefer to go the whole nine yards and pair it with traditional rice wine. Commonly referred to as Sake (pronounced sah-Kay), this traditional Japanese wine is made with fermented rice. Unlike other wines, sake can be enjoyed hot or cold, depending on your personal preference. With its clean, sweet taste it adds a fruity and nutty flavor to any seafood dish.
White Wine Options
Anyone wishing to pair wine with sushi will do well to consider a few choice white wine options. White wine choices are the preferred option because of their diverse aromas and fruity tastes. Some of the most popular choices are listed below.
Gruner Veltliner
One of the more popular dishes on your sushi platter is grilled eel. Since eel is usually smoked and caramelized, you’ll want a white wine such as Gruner Veltliner that cuts through the rich fish taste. Gruner Veltliner is a perfect pairing for dragon (cucumber and avocado) and unagi (eel) rolls because of its zesty grapefruit, lime and white pepper notes.
Dry Riesling
Some sushi rolls have a chili, spicy bite to them. For these types of rolls, you’d want to opt for a wine that has a sweet flavor to even out the spicy heat. Spicy food lovers will agree, a dry Riesling is an ideal match.
Sauvignon Blanc
A sushi platter is never complete without some deep-fried, exquisitely tasting tempura. To enjoy your tempura without overwhelming the flavor, you’d do best to opt with a light-bodied choice such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Prosecco
Fancy a chopped scallop roll? Then you’ll Definity need to wash it down with a wine that offers a sweet, somewhat fruity flavor. A good option is the lemony essence you’d get from a Prosecco. Since scallop rolls are usually sweet with a touch of spice, a Prosecco will easily cut through that flavor combination.
Santorini Assyrtiko
Why not combine a delicious Greek wine with your platter? Santorini Assyrtiko wine is popularly known as a good match for most seafood dishes. With its flavorful notes of beeswax, white flowers and citrus it’s an ideal choice for sashimi or yellow-tail.
Albarino
The subtle lemon, green pea and lime flavors offered by a tasty Albarino provides the perfect amount of acidity to balance any prawn tempura on your sushi platter. If you have a deep-fried Panko, Albarino gives you an exceptional taste balance.
Rose Wine Options
If Rose is your preferred wine choice, there are a few options you can consider to complement your sushi platter.
Dry Rose
In addition to a few sushi rolls, you might be in the mood for some vegetarian maki. A lighter bodied Rose is a perfect option. Crunchy asparagus, cucumber or even avocado rolls taste so much better with a light-bodied dry Rose as a pairing!
Provencal Rose
The area of Provence is well known for two things – Rose wine and scrumptious seafood. It makes sense then that these two flavors were designed to go together! The creamy, robust crab and avocado flavor from a California roll really comes to life when paired with the bone dry, strawberry-filled Provencal Rose. This Rose will give your sushi dish a crisp edge on an otherwise fishy taste.
Is There a Red Wine Option?
Red wine lovers don’t have to feel left out. While a heavy red will give most sushi fish types a metallic taste, there is one you can opt for.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a light-bodied red offering a mild tannin. The best option is a Red Burgundy cultivated in a cool climate region. It’s the perfect match for a dish made up of tuna and salmon. You might want to take it easy on the soy sauce with your sushi dish to avoid a sharp, bitter taste with your wine.
Sherry Options
Sherry drinkers will be delighted to know there are options for them as well! There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a glass of sherry with your favorite sushi dish!
Amontillado Sherry
Aburi sushi is a tasty flame-seared fish. Usually, the chef will use a hand-held blow torch and bamboo charcoal to char the top of the fish to give it that famous nutty smoked flavor. With that in mind, the dry, nutty flavor offered by an Amontillado Sherry is by far the best option to enhance your flavor experience!
Manzanilla Sherry
If you’ve ever combined uni (sea urchin) with the briny Manzanilla Sherry you’ll know it’s a match made in heaven! Since uni has a nutty, smooth flavor the salinity offered by this particular Sherry is the secret to the wonderful pairing!
Can You Pair Sparkling Wines with Sushi?
- Sparkling wines such as champagne aren’t just best suited to festivities.
- Since sparkling wines have a much lower tannin, they are the ideal choice to pair with sushi.
- The trick is to choose a sparkling wine that’s not too sweet.
Since champagne is usually the most subtle of wines, it accentuates the mixtures of a sushi platter.A good example would be a Blanc de Blanc which pairs very well with a host of different seafood dishes, which includes sushi and scallops.
Final Thought
- If you’re a wine lover who loves the occasional sushi platter, there’s no reason why you can’t combine the two!
- While many people prefer to keep it traditional and pair their sushi platter with rice wine, the good news is, you can opt for one of your personal favorites.
- Depending on the dish you’ve chosen, the good news is there is a variety of white, red or Rose wines to choose from.
The more you experiment with the options we’ve shared, the more likely you are to find the perfect pairing to give you a palate a heavenly experience!
The Best Wines to Drink with Sushi, from Bubbly to Riesling
- When sitting down to order sushi, be it at the counter, the table, or from your couch (no judgements!), the inevitable question of “What do I drink with it?” comes up.
- There are the usual suspects, such as tea, inexpensive plum wine, sake, or even beer.
- But there is another libation that can increase your sushi experience exponentially: wine.
Often overlooked as a proper sushi pairing, wine can reflect the crystalline transparency of fish and take you on a flavor trip other drinks cannot.Sushi is about elegance and purity; the wine you pair with it should be, too.The varied palate of sushi encompasses a wide variety of fish flavors within.
Fluke is lighter and brighter; salmon roe is briney; cooked eel displays sweetness.If you’re having nori in your maki or temaki, it will add deep smoky tones.Sushi rice will add a back palate zing from a bit of rice vinegar.Textures can be considered when pairing, too: tuna and salmon are smooth and fleshy while squid and shrimp are crisp.
- What sets wine apart from traditional sushi pairings is its acidity, which helps fuse the coupling between fish and grape.
- Because of the myriad styles of wine — dry vs.
- off-dry, light body vs.
- full body, sparkling vs.
- still — there are infinite pairing possibilities.
- To keep things straightforward, I’m going to break down sushi and wine pairing into two easy-to-follow principles that will make selecting wine for sushi painless…and with a delicious outcome to boot.
When I approach this pairing principle, I largely aim to match up the body of the food with the body of the wine.I pay attention to the cooking method, or lack thereof, because this defines how the food is going to feel, or weigh, on the palate.Raw foods and poaching or steaming cooking methods result in a lighter palate weight.Grilling and searing methods result in a richer, fuller palate experience thanks to the Maillard reaction.
- (The Maillard reaction is a chemical and physical process which occurs when proteins and sugars in and on food are transformed by heat, producing new flavors, aromas, and colors.The Maillard reaction is responsible for the char on your steak and the toasty, malty flavors on crusty bread).
- Take note of the cooking method of your dish, size up what you think its mouthfeel will be, then select a wine that is going to be about the same weight and texture as your food.
- If you’re unsure, talk to your sommelier or a trusted retailer.
- They’ll know their wines inside out (pun intended).
Raw Fish + Bright Whites
- Lighter cooking method foods, such as raw amberjack or steamed vegetable shumai, do well with lighter bodied wines.
- My palate immediately craves bright, mineral-driven white wines whose weights are buoyant with fresh, zippy acidity when I’m anticipating these supple, near-weightless foods.
- Wines that fit this fighting weight include Muscadet, Albariño and Chablis.
The ones I reach for are Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet or Christian Moreau Chablis, and an Albariño favorite is Benito Santos from Rias Baixas, Spain.These are dependable, unfussy, pure wines that deliver every.single.time.Furthermore, each of these wines drives home a saline sensibility that marries the oceanic flavors of the wine and the fish.
Think about it: these wines come from places that are either close to the water or have soil with ancient oceanic deposits.All showcase a sea spray, marine quality that checks off “like with like” boxes in both the flavor and weight departments to deliver a seamless, harmonious pairing.
Grilled Fish + California Zinfandel
- On the other side of the cooking method spectrum, grilled and seared items offer an opposite flavor profile.
- The crispy, slightly sweet bits of anago or the deep, caramel-like notes from a sizzling-hot sear on otoro fill your mouth with rich and complex flavors that would overpower a light and fresh wine.
- Here you need a wine that has a fuller body and one that can stand up to those bolder, bigger “like with like” flavors.
A well-made California zinfandel, with its medium/full-ish weight and sweet spice and fruit, is an ideal link with the browned, charred flavors of perfectly seared protein.The Lytton Springs bottling from Ridge is especially dynamite with seared tuna — so much so, you’ll wonder where this wine has been all your life. Before you know it a second bottle will be on the table and another round of fish will be on its way.
So what happens if you don’t follow this pairing principle?No matter what the cuisine, consider this: if you order a wine that’s too light for bigger foods, the wine will feel nonexistent.Conversely, heavier wines can overwhelm light or raw foods.If either of these routes is taken, you might even go so far as to turn against the one on which you blame your palate’s displeasure — “Gah, that Vinho Verde really didn’t stand up my seared Rib Eye…never ordering that wine again,” or “Geez, those Kumamoto oysters were horrible with my Napa Cab…guess I don’t like oysters the way I thought I did.” Flag on the play!
- Pay attention to the food you’re ordering and match up a wine whose weight and body is similar and you won’t go wrong.
- Yin and Yang are complementary, rather than opposing, forces.
- The philosophy demonstrates the idea of balance which you find in Asian culture and certainly in their cuisines.
- Because Asian cuisine – especially Japanese cuisine – follows this idea of balance, it can be a challenge at times to find the right wine.
- After all, isn’t the food balanced already?
- Yes, it is, and when you’re selecting wine with the “opposites attract” principle in mind you’ll want to pick out a flavor or texture (or both!) in the dish and pivot to the flip side with your wine.
Shrimp Tempura + Bubbles
- In the United States, a ubiquitous starter in Japanese restaurants is shrimp tempura, which has a feather-light, crunchy batter surrounding shrimp so plump and fresh it snaps, dipped into the obligatory kiddie pool of a savory soy-based sauce.
- To break this down, we’ve got crunchy texture, an ocean-like flavor from the shrimp, and a direct hit of nutty-saltiness from the sauce.
- My favorite pairing here is bubbles, and here’s why: 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 invigorates your salivary glands causing you to salivate.
That acidity, or salivating, restores and refreshes so that luxurious texture doesn’t make your palate feel heavy after several bites.One of my favorite bottle of bubbles with tempura is François Pinon Sparkling Vouvray Brut.Made from chenin blanc, Vouvray is a wonderful pair for sushi generally not only for its bright acidity but its ability to draw out those oceanic flavors in seafood.
The Pinon is well priced for everyday drinking, but if you’re in the mood to splurge I recommend a true Champagne with tempura, or anything fried for that matter. Seek out a Blanc de Blancs (made only from white grapes) or a Brut Rosé.The velvety, frothy mousse of Champagne takes a fried food pairing into opposing-texture overdrive, and that beautiful razor’s edge of mouthwatering acidity will have your lips smacking and your palate craving more wine AND fried deliciousness.A few of my favorite go-to Champagnes include Pierre Moncuit Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru and Bollinger Brut Rosé, both non-vintage.
- And if I’m being honest, I recommend sticking with Champagne throughout the entire meal because I believe Champagne to be one of the best food wines on the planet.
Spice + Riesling
- Let’s look at another “opposites attract” example: the spicy kick from daikon, wasabi, or ginger.
- Pivoting from the heat it’s the off-dry wines that will pair best.
- I suggest – yes, I’m going to say it – riesling.
I realize a lot of people don’t like riesling.“It’s too sweet!” they say, usually accompanied by sour faces.I’m here to tell you you WANT your riesling to have a kiss of sugar when you’re eating foods with a spicy kick.
Before I go further, let me ask a question.Is spicy BBQ sauce just a mouthful of cayenne and red pepper flakes? No, it has honey and brown sugar in it to balance the fiery spice.Now let’s revisit that riesling option.
- Picking one with a lil’ bit of sugar will not only offer your palate relief from the heat of the ginger or wasabi, but the general balance between food and wine will be enhanced, too.
- A wine’s residual sugar brings forward the natural sugars in food making the perceived sweetness in the pairing come from both the food and the wine, not just from the wine.
- A wine’s residual sugar also might be low enough that your palate registers it more as “fruity” rather than “sweet.” Riesling does its job of balancing heat in a dish and allowing your palate to perceive the heat as less intense.
- Two classic and reliable riesling selections are Schloss Lieser Riesling Estate Feinherb and Heymann-Löwenstein ‘Scheiferterrassen’ Riesling Kabinett.
- You’ll find both on wine lists of notable sushi restaurants.
- Riesling inherently has mouthwatering acidity, and its purity of fruit flavors – the best tasting ones are sweet like an apple, simultaneously sweet and tart – make it an excellent foil to the various sushi flavors and oily, rich textures, not just the heat.
While wine isn’t typically seen on beverage lists of traditional sushi restaurants, it shouldn’t be discounted as a truly great pairing.Sure, a citrusy beer can be an easy and enjoyable choice and sake can show earthy and fruity notes that underscore the saline flavors of clean, unadulterated fish, but sometimes I find that the higher alcohol of sake and bitterness of beer can get in the way of the precision I seek out with sushi.When it comes down to a food style as meticulous and clean as sushi, choosing wine that follows suit and you’ll find your tasting experience is enhanced, your palate cleansed, and your flavor horizons broadened.Sarah holds an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Baking and Pastry certificate from The Culinary Institute of America.
- She is a Master Sommelier candidate, a Certified Wine Educator, and she passed the WSET Advanced with Merit.
- She teaches wine and wine pairing classes at Astor Center and Murray’s Cheese in New York City, and whenever possible she collects and drinks Champagne, Barolo and German Riesling.
- Follow her on Instagram @loopersomm for nerdy food and beverage pics.
6 Sushi and Wine Pairings
- Want to learn more about your wine preferences?
- Take our quick 7-question quiz, and get personalized wine matches!
- In our humble opinion, sushi night is the best night of the week.
So, how do you choose the best wine for your sushi?TBH, you could drive yourself a little crazy thinking about the nitty gritty details of every menu item in your cart.After all, a piece of nigiri (fish over rice) or maki (a roll), is a whole experience on its own.
Even though wine pairing usually goes best when you consider all the tastes and textures – the cut of fish, the cooking style (or lack thereof), etc.– when it comes to sushi, we believe in keeping things simple.So, don’t worry about picking the right wine for each roll.Instead, think about the big picture.
- This way, when the sushi arrives, all you have to do is chill out and enjoy.
Pairing Tips
Here are some wines that will work well with the whole meal, whether you like red, white, or rosé.
Riesling
- Riesling is a solid choice for sushi.
- Lighter cuts of fish pair well with a light-bodied white wine, and the delicate fruit notes and mouth watering acidity in Riesling do just the trick.
- If you prefer lean cuts of fish like white fish or yellowtail, go with a dry Riesling.
If you prefer spicy bites, go with an off-dry Riesling.The sweetness in the wine will tone down the spice of the food, making for a harmonious pairing.
Provençal Rosé
Rosé from Provence is very dry with bright acidity, slate minerality, and notes of strawberry, making it an excellent pairing for sushi. It pairs particularly well with tuna, salmon, and the crab in California rolls – which makes sense because, in its hometown of Provence, it’s often paired with fish and seafood.
Pinot Noir
- Red wine lovers, don’t despair.
- You may have heard that you should pair white wine with fish, but some rules are meant to be broken.
- The key is to pick a light-bodied red with mild tannins, like Pinot Noir.
Strong tannins can make fish taste metallic, and obviously you want to avoid that.Red Burgundy – an Old-World Pinot Noir – or New-World Pinot from a cool-climate region like Oregon is your best bet, particularly alongside tuna or salmon.
Pairing Wine and Your Sushi Order
1. Tempura + Sauvignon Blanc
- Deep fried and delicious, tempura pairs well with a sparkling wine like Cava or very light-bodied white wine.
- Vinho Verde – a white blend from Portugal with a slight effervescence – or Sauvignon Blanc are solid choices.
- We like to pair our tempura with Bright Cellars’ Strange One Sauvignon Blanc.
The flavors of passion fruit, white peach, and honeydew will go pair nicely with the tempura flavors.
2. Eel + Grüner Veltliner
- Grilled eel is smoky and can be slightly caramelized.
- You’ll want a wine that can cut through the richness of eel, so pair your unagi (eel) roll or dragon roll (eel with avocado and hoisin-bbq sauce) with Grüner Veltliner – a light and zesty white wine with notes of lime, grapefruit, and white pepper – or Gewürztraminer, an aromatic white wine.
- Try pairing your eel sushi with Herz and Heim Grüner Veltliner!
The flavors of green apple, fresh herbs, and spicy white pepper will go nicely smoking eel.
3. Light Fish + Pinot Grigio
- If you’re sticking with light, lean cuts of fish – either as sashimi, nigiri, or maki – go with a light-bodied white wine like Albariño, Pinot Grigio, or Chablis – a very light, unoaked Chardonnay made in France.
- For this pairing we go with Bright Cellars’ Dead Stars and Black Holes Pinot Grigio!
- This deliciously crisp white is sustainably grown in California and showcases flavors of grapefruit, lemon, and tropical pineapple that will go perfectly with the light fish flavors.
4. Tuna/Salmon + Pinot Noir
- More oily, robust cuts of fish can handle a more intense wine.
- If your go-to is a Philly or Alaska roll, try a bone dry Provençal rosé or a light-bodied red.
- For fatty tuna – the most decadent sushi out there – go for a light red wine like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais.
Our favorite vino for this pairing would be Bright Cellars’ own Apostate Pinot Noir!The flavors of red fruit and earthy truffle will pair perfectly with the more oily fish.
5. Spicy Tuna + Riesling
For rolls made with spicy mayo or chili oil, you’ll want a slightly sweet low-ABV wine to mellow out the heat. An off-dry Riesling is a great choice for spicy food lovers. The best low-ABV and sweet wine for this pairing is Bright Cellars’ own Sunshower Riesling. The semi-sweetness from the wine will off-set the spiciness from the sushi.
6. Vegetarian maki + Rosé
If raw fish is not for you, no worries! Veggie maki pairs best with a lighter wine. Go with a light-bodied Vinho Verde for crunchy rolls with cucumber or asparagus, or a light-bodied dry rosé for avocado rolls.
In Vino Finito
When it comes to pairing sushi with wine, don’t stress. Didn’t see your favorite menu item on the list? Email us and we can help you choose a wine to match. For more wine wisdom, subscribe to our daily newsletter, Glass Half Full. Interested in getting these wines in your next box? Reach out to our concierge team at!
Comments
Our staff is full of passionate wine lovers. With our amazing sommeliers at the helm, we’ve been schooled on all things wine. We came together to write this article, in hopes of spreading a little wine-ducation with you. But what would happen if the correct type of wine is chosen as a pairing?Would the experience be completely different?The answer is yes! But there is a deep explanation in all of these affirmations and is important to discover everything about this interesting yet exclusive pairing that could change many sushi nights and parties.The next article will focus on providing advanced and relevant information about wine and sushi pairing and to do so many types of wine that pair wells with sushi will be listed to avoid selecting the worst possible combinations in the future. First of all, the correct type of wine must be chosen wisely to guarantee an explosion of flavor and correct enjoyment of the dish and the second is having a complete understanding of the fact that not every sushi dish is made with the same type of fish, meaning that getting as many details as possible before ordering the wine will be a game-changer in the experience.With that being said, let us begin with the list of the wines that can be paired with sushi. For those who like names, forget about ordering Red Burgundy at all costs and try to match Pinot Noir with tuna or salmon as they provide the best taste when paired with this type of wine. Sadly with Chenin Blanc, many things can go wrong if certain conditions are not met, first of all, avoid getting the sweet variations, and secondly, watch out for the condiments of the sushi.Knowing the food will make the drink taste even better as infinite possibilities could be achieved. However, the sauces and condiments will play a meaningful role in this situation as they could cause a flavor problem, that’s where the issue with ‘long nights’ is developed, the stomach of many individuals can suffer a little when no considerations are taken. Just be careful on finishing the wine first as it could be a little troublesome for the stomach on long nights. That’s why this should not be the end of the experience, in fact, this should be only a stepping stone to stay on track and keep learning more about wines and their impact on modern food and celebrations, there’s a lot of potential hidden in these bottles that pack tons of surprise and enjoyment for many and forgettable moments for others. It’s true that most of the time, people choose either sake or beer to drink with their sushi meal.If you’re not a fan of these two drinks, don’t just settle for water or soda.You might want to branch out and try a glass of wine to go with your sushi dinner. A fine wine can compliment any meal, but there are so many varieties of wine to choose from.To get the most out of your dining experience, you’ll need to get your wine choice right.So, what’s the best wine to go with sushi?Check out these 5 incredible wine pairings and try them for yourself! And, some wines will pair better with your sashimi than others.If you’re a wine lover excited at the prospect of using one of your favorite drinks to go with your sushi dinner, you’ll want to know which wines are the best choice.With so many different wines to choose from, it can seem intimidating to find the right one.There are white, red, and blush wines, champagnes, and dry and sweet wines to choose from. Our inventory isn’t meant to be definitive, but more like a helpful guideline to give you an idea of what wines are an excellent choice for seafood dishes.So what’s the best wine for a sushi dinner?Read on for our top 5 fabulous pairings and try them out for yourself for your next dinner reservation. But the German Riesling is an excellent choice for many dishes.Traditionally, rieslings were considered an after-dinner dessert wine.Rieslings have a reputation for being crisp and refreshing. As far as flavors go, rieslings can be sweet, to medium sweet to dry.When you’re eating sushi, a dry riesling will pair best with the meal.Are you ordering something hot like a tuna tataki with spicy ponzu?Then an off-dry Riesling is the perfect pairing for that dish. You’ve probably heard the ‘rule’ that you should only drink white wine with fish.What to do if you’re not a fan of white wines?Well, there are a few reds that will pair well with sushi and seafood dishes. The reason the ‘rule’ (which is more of a guideline) states that fish only pairs well with white wine is because fish has a lighter taste.Typically, foods that are lighter do better with white wine, since white wines are more delicate and less robust than reds.So if you’re a lover of red wines, you’ll need to choose one that is has a more delicate flavoring so it won’t compete with or overwhelm the fish but complements your dinner instead.A Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon is the perfect accompaniment to a sushi dish for a red wine lover. The primary fruit flavors in Gruner Veltliner wine are lime, lemon, and grapefruit.Some tasters describe a green, herbaceous flavor often described as white pepper.And the signature vein of acidity in this unique wine gives it that final, mineral flavor. The Gruner Veltliner wine profile will enhance the taste of sushi. Provence, France, is famous as being the birthplace of the French vineyard, dating all the way back to 300 B.C.Historical records indicate that the Ancient Greek traders brought wine grapes and winemaking traditions to the area when they founded the city of Marseille.In the middle ages, Provence wine making exploded. It’s carried on the tradition ever since.Like the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, a Provencal Rose wine is a reliable choice for sushi and seafood dishes.The types of wines tend to be very dry, and brightly acidic.Plus, Provence, France borders the Mediterranean Sea, and the region’s traditional fare is heavy with seafood-based dishes. The Champagne region of France was cultivated in at least the 5th century, but some historical records indicate even earlier times.The famous Champagne wine started out as a pale pink and still beverage, until evolving into the sparkling wine so well-loved today.Real champagne has a reputation for being a bit on the pricey side, though. If you aren’t celebrating a special occasion and don’t want to spring for a real bottle of bubbly, a dry prosecco is an excellent alternative.Dry proseccos and real champagnes will enhance any seafood dish. Please use this as more like a guideline regarding how dry or delicate a glass of wine needs to be to enhance the flavors of lighter fare like fish and seafood.Trying new wines is always a fun experience, and you don’t need to feel embarrassed when you go to order whatever glass you want even if it’s, traditionally speaking, not something that would typically pair with sushi.If someone told you it’s not the ‘right pairing,’ it doesn’t matter what the haters say. If you choose something you enjoy, you’ll always have an excellent dining experience at your favorite sushi restaurant.Now that you’ve got a good baseline for what kinds of wines pair well with sushi are you in the mood to try something new today?Then give us a call and make your reservation at our award-winning sushi restaurants today.We’ve got an extensive, high-quality wine list that will be sure to enhance any of your favorite sushi dishes and give you the dining experience you want and deserve. Sushi consumption has increased considerably in the last twenty years, especially in Western countries, mainly in the USA and the UK. In Europe, France is the 1st sushi consumer. And since France is the country of wine, we thought it was our duty to tell you which wines to drink with your sushi! You will see that many pairings are allowed as long as you respect a few rules. Usually, people eat sushi with beer, tea or sake.For those who prefer wine, here are a few tips to enjoy your dish at its best. The sushi rice and the tannic red wine make a rather bad match. But if you really want to drink red wine, a light Pinot Noir should do the trick. On the other hand, avoid sweet soy sauce and opt instead for a slightly neutral tasting fish like tuna.What Wine Goes With Sushi?
What Wine Goes With Sushi?
List of Wines that Can be Paired With Sushi:
Pinot Noir:
White Wines: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon, and Riesling.
Chardonnay:
Chenin Blanc:
Sauvignon and Riesling:
Rosé Wines:
Sparkling Wines: Champagne.
Conclusion
When you go out to eat, you don’t just want a tasty meal; you want an experience.
1. Off-dry Riesling
2. Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
3. Gruner Veltliner
4. Provencal Rose
5. Champagne
The Best Wine with Sushi: Our Picks
Which wines to drink with sushi?
Some facts
Red wine
Sushi and white wines
As you may have understood, it will be more pleasant to enjoy your sushi with white wine which goes very well with sushi rice and fish. Indeed, the diversity of aromas of the white wine will respond well to the subtlety of raw fish.
Be careful, however, with the sauces and condiments that accompany the dishes, and which are also to be taken into consideration. And don’t forget to aerate your wine to enjoy all its aromas (yes, white wine needs aeration too!).
Rosé wine
Why not serve sushi with rosé but if rather if they’re made of salmon and/or tuna. French southwestern rosés for example may be suitable. They get along rather well with seafood so it should be okay.
Sushi and sparkling wines
This festive dish finds a beautiful echo in festive wines such as champagne. The crémant also goes perfectly with sushi. Choose a sparkling wine, not too sweet, to fully enjoy the subtlety of the dish and the drink. A blanc de blanc for example is a sure value, especially if you eat it with seafood sushi or shellfish such as scallops.
Conclusion
When we think sushi, we think Japan, when we think Japan, we think sake. And yet, we now understand why sushi is so popular in France and in Western countries: because it goes well with all wines! Subscribe to Aveine’s Newsletter and follow us on social media!
Beer and Wine Parings: What to Drink with Sushi
A night of fantastic sushi is not complete without the perfect drink pairings to go with your order. If you’re unsure of what to drink with sushi when you go out, Matsuhisa Denver has you covered. With this guide, you can become an expert at beer and wine pairings that will bring out the very best of your sushi dishes.
Sake
- While Sake is not traditionally served with sushi in Japan, many Americans find that they enjoy the sweetness of a dry sake served alongside their meal.
- The best pairings are usually those with very mild citrus or melon notes that won’t overpower the flavors of your sushi or sashimi.
- For the perfect pairing try our very own Chef Nobu’s sake such as the Floral Nobu Junmai Da-Ginjo with the California Roll or the Nobu YK35 Dai-Ginjo with the nigiri.
Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Grigio
- These lighter wines are perfect for pairing with sushi dishes such as tuna and yellowtail.
- The wine is light and isn’t too sweet or too dry, so it closely mimics the flavors of the fish.
- Tuna and yellowtail are not quite as sweet as some of the other common fish used in sushi, so this makes a good pairing.
If you’re new to food and wine pairings, this will give you an excellent balanced start to your journey and allow you to see how the two flavors work together.
Champagne
- Champagne is a perfect companion for just about any type of sushi dish.
- It is quite dry, but the flavor gives you a blank canvas where you can fully explore the flavors of the fish.
- You will notice that the flavor of the champagne does not compete with the natural sweetness of most sushi dishes for your attention.
Don’t be afraid to celebrate a major achievement with a glass or two of champagne in hand.
Pinot Noir
There’s no denying the intensity of a great pinot noir. When paired with an intricate hand roll, you will fall head over heels in love. These type of rolls typically feature more flavorful ingredients like salmon, nori and even some spicy tuna. The bold flavor of the Pinot Noir naturally supports the bright flavors in the sushi roll for a balanced flavor palate.
Asahi Super Dry Lager
If you’re more of a beer fan, you’re in luck. The Asahi Super Dry Lager is a very nice, mellow beer to enjoy alongside your sashimi or nigiri. It has a very crisp flavor that won’t interfere with the softer notes inherent in the fish. This Japanese inspired beer is practically meant for just this kind of pairing.
Sapporo Lager
This beer is one of the bolder choices around. It has a notable bitterness and a strong hop flavor. However, it works just right with ginger and wasabi so that you can enjoy it with your Negitoro roll or one of the other layered rolls on the menu. Just make sure you pace yourself, so you don’t miss out on all the many flavors that come out of this combination.
Yoho Wednesday Cat Belgian White Nagano
This citrusy, gentle beer is ideal for eating with nigiri or sashimi thanks to the fruity punch it carries. You will find that it is also spiced just right so you can enjoy it with a hint of ginger and it blends marvelously. If you are eating something a little more complex, this beer might be a little too light to enjoy, but it is a great starter to your evening.
Cocktails
- The subject of cocktails is a little harder to break down.
- In general, the best policy is always to go light on the flavoring.
- For instance, the Elderflower Gimlet is light and airy, and won’t overpower your meal.
Many cocktails have robust fruity flavors that will cut into the flavor of your fish, and you will end up missing out.Likewise, straight liquor is not advisable because it is far too harsh for the delicate flavors in great sushi.Now you have a good idea of what kind of drinks to pair with your favorite sushi dishes.
Remember that you have to work carefully to balance the flavors of the fish with the flavors in your beverage.If your beverage is too heavy-handed, it could keep you from enjoying the true nature of the sushi.When in doubt, it is always better to err on the lighter side so that you can get the most out of the sushi without undercutting the flavor.Fortunately, many incredible Japanese beers and wines make for a perfect combination for any dinner date.
- To learn more, stop by Matsuhisa‘s sushi restaurants in Denver and explore the whole world of flavor available to you in our menu.
The New Rules of Pairing Wine with Sushi
- What works with the Japanese staple?
- More than you might think.When Garrett Smith, beverage director of NYC’s acclaimed omakase den Sushi Nakazawa, serves red wine alongside chef Daisuke’s artful nigiri, he still sees diners recoil in surprise.
- “A common phrase I hear is, ‘I don’t want to break any rules,’” says Smith.
So, in addition to the challenge of pairing with a range of light/delicate to earthy/umami flavors, he has the added task of quelling certain preconceptions.Champagne and Riesling—uncontested sushi-pairing champions—take up a solid portion of his wine list’s real estate, but Smith loves opening up Burgundy and even richer reds from California.“The idea is to follow the progression of flavors that the chef is plating,” he says, “and red wine really fits in by the time we get to the third or fourth plate, which is generally the silver fish, like mackerel, yellowtail, crab or different kinds of shrimp.”Fish texture, he argues, is often more significant to its pairing possibilities than flavor alone.“You have to think about the oil content, if the skin will be included, or if there’s roe, which adds another structural element.
Each fish gets treated differently, so if there’s a sear on it or something like a Japanese mustard or ginger, that will add richness.”As the menu crescendos into more assertive flavors (they age their yellowtail in-house for 8 days, so it’s even funkier than the ubiquitous amberjack), Smith often finds himself reaching for Gamay.“A traditional pairing for those sorts of fish in the sake world would be a Yamahai, which is a natural fermentation sake,” he says.“What’s unique about those is they tend toward more umami flavors, which in turn brings out sweetness in the fish.Gamay from Beaujolais is planted on crushed granite soil and has all this mineral tone and earthiness, which will interact the same way with those styles of fish—coax out sweetness.” Its acidity is a great counter to brininess or oiliness, too.For classic toro and medium fatty tuna?
- That’s where fuller-bodied reds come into play.
- “The fat of tuna is like steak fat,” says Smith.
- “Tannin in a red wine can pick that up and make it taste even more buttery.” His go-to is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Domaine Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, since “it also goes so well with the iron-like edge that tuna brings.”Red wine aside, Smith’s all-time favorite wine/sushi combo is Grüner Veltliner with squid.
- “Chef uses shiso and a plum paste in the squid preparation, so it’s briny, herbal, and salty-sweet at the same time,” he says.
- “A Grüner with a bit of floral character plays off the texture so well, and the herbal elements of both the wine and shiso go together beautifully.
- I spent a good amount of time finding just the right bottle and finally landed on the Stadt Krems ‘Wachtberg Reserve’ from the Kremstal.
It has a gorgeous white fruit quality that’s just perfect with squid, scallop, or any white fish.”
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