Wine and Japanese cuisine both come from centuries-old traditions. How to combine wine and sushi ? Beaux-Vins helps you find the perfect match !
Sushi has been in fashion for a few years… So fashionable that the French have become the first consumers of this traditional Japanese dish. I'll put aside that eating three grains of rice stuck to foul seaweed and a piece of raw fish is abnormal - fat is life ! - to focus on the existential question : what wine to drink with sushi ?
Sushi, Maki, Sashimi, what are the differences ?
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| Sushi |
Sushi is the most famous of the three in France, although it is an occasional dish in Japan. It is made up of two main ingredients : vinegar rice - Shari or 舎利 for the close friends - combined with another ingredient named neta - Sushi material which is usually raw fish or seafood.
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| Makis |
The Maki, little brother of Sushi and who is really called Makizushi, means "Sushi on a roll", consists of vinegar rice, some amenities like fish, vegetables, and so on. and a dried seaweed leaf - it is against nature I tell you —.
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| Sashimis |
The Sashimi — 刺身 —, which means "cut body" is a dish much simpler than the previous ones. It is the purity of the ingredient in its purest form : thin slices of fish. But don't be fooled by appearances, it is a culinary art of artistic presentation of raw fish the size of a bite.
What wine to drink with Sushi ?
What white wine to accompany your sushi ?
Generally, a beer is recommended to pair with sushi and sauces. The bitterness of this drink goes well with the strong taste of Wasabi sauces, Soy or Ginger. — whatever your preference, you need to dip just a little bit of the fish and not the rice or let the sushi soak 10 minutes in the sauce, bunch of profaners ! —
But since you are on a blog dedicated to wine, you might as well want advice on which wines to choose.
For this gastronomic specialty, the choice of wine is quite obvious. Who says fish and white rice, said young white wine, dry, unwooded - no oak barrel - and not too fruity. You can already keep stored your bottle of red wine for another occasion, the taste of sushi is too subtle to cope with the aromatic power and tannins of a red wine.
To pair this dish, I invite you to choose white wines from Burgundy. You can easily pair your sushi with a Mâcon Village or a Chablis in its youth.
You can also head into the Loire Valley with tense and lively white wines such as a Muscadet or a Sauvignon. Personally, I would go for a Chenin with a dry Vouvray or an Anjou. A Pouilly-Fumé is also an excellent choice !
Alsatian white wines are the most popular to pair sushi, especially wines from Riesling or Sylvaner. These wines are renowned for having a beautiful finesse with beautiful gun stone aromas.
You want to travel ? A trocken Riesling - dry - from Germany also goes wonderfully with sushi.
Which red wine to pair with your sushi ?
Red wine is clearly not the ideal wine to emphasize the aromas of sushi, but I assume that some of you are fans of red wine. This wine has tannins that mix badly with the acidity of vinegar, and distort the delicate taste of raw fish.
So as not to take too much risk, choose a light Pinot Noir. Some will tell you that Burgundy is to be banned. Yet, an Épineuil with its fruity aromas, the few tannins and its beautiful minerality will seduce you. If not, you can visit our Alsatian friends who make their Pinot Noir an elegant and fruity wine.
The Loire valley also offers superb Pinot Noir that will pair your sushi with finesse. Menetou-Salon or Reuilly will be strong allies !
What about sparkling wines ?
I see you have luxury tastes…. Sushi and Champagne ? It's the Laurels and Hardys of the perfect match. The lightness of the drink echoes the aromatic subtlety of the sushi. Champagne also goes very well with soy sauce due to the significant presence of yeasts in the sauce as in the drink..
I recommend you choose a slightly sweet cremant, a cremant of Alsace Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris, or even a white Burgundy cremant will perfectly pair your meal.
I only have one more thing to tell you : to your chopsticks sushi-lovers… and your corkscrew !
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