Who doesn’t love the intense aromas of wasabi, soy sauce and fish. But the aromas don’t make it easy to find the right wine.
Fish and rice are actually relatively straightforward to find the right wine. The challenge is soy sauce and wasabi. With the hot wasabi seasoning (Japanese horseradish) and the saltiness of the soy sauce, most of the drops unfortunately lose out.
Bubbles always go to sushi
With their bitter taste, dry champagnes underline the aromas of the raw fish and the acidity of the wine harmonizes very well with the Japanese rice vinegar, which should not be missing in sushi rice. The tangy drops also get along well with soy sauce and wasabi. If there is nothing to celebrate, then Cava, Prosecchi or even better: sparkling wines from Switzerland are also perfect.
Sushi goes well with semi-dry Riesling
Do you like wines with a slight residual sweetness? On the next sushi evening, try a Riesling that is not completely dry, but rather has a slight sweetness. Such wines usually have a reduced alcohol content and thus do not increase the spiciness of the wasabi on the palate. This danger exists with wines with a higher alcohol content (14% vol. Or more).
Rosé with a light fruit sweetness for sushi in summer
Especially in summer, rosés with a light fruit sweetness are a must for a sushi lunch or dinner. Insider tip: White Zinfandel from California (by the way, in Italy the grape variety is called Primitivo).
And what about red wine with sushi?
Rather tricky, because the tannins / tannins in red wine react with the protein of the fish and leave an unpleasant metallic taste on the palate.
Insider tip for the Japanese
To reduce the salty taste of the soy sauce, you can mix a small portion of the wine with the sauce.