Which Wine Goes With Sushi?

Sushi has been fashionable for a number of years now, becoming an integral part of our culture. These cold rice rolls with fish or vegetable filling, which come in countless variations, are perfect for quickly satisfying hunger. Intense aromas of fish, wasabi and soy sauce bring a veritable firework of taste. However, this is exactly where the difficulty lies. Finding a suitable wine to accompany these flavours is a challenge.

Which wine goes well with sushi?

In order to avoid the different flavours robbing each other of their intensity, choose a fruity wine with moderate alcohol content and ideally a subtle residual sweetness. A relatively low alcohol content partly neuters wasabi's stinging sharpness and salty soy sauce is best balanced with a fresh, mineral white wine, such as a light Pinot Blanc, a Chardonnay that isn't too woody, or a dry to medium-dry Riesling. To soften the intense flavour of the soy sauce, the Japanese often simply mix it with a sip of white wine, the same wine they drink with their sushi. This reduces the salty taste.

If the sushi contains prawns, a sparkling wine with good acidity is ideal. A Pinot Gris with aromas of apples, pears and citrus notes matches perfectly with prawns. ;-) A dry Sauvignon Blanc is also a good choice and, with its tart, fruity aroma, goes perfectly with sushi and crunchy vegetables. A Pinot Noir with little tannic acid is also a good option, perfectly accompanying the flavours of this Japanese dish.

In principle, any wine can be drunk with it if it suits you personally, but red wine is not the first choice for sushi. Quite tannic red wine may taste very strange when the protein in the seafood reacts with the tannins, leaving a slightly metallic taste. However, we'd definitely recommend rosé with sushi. Rosa Cuvee 2020 from the Strehn family winery is a fresh, dry rosé with a light fruity sweetness that pairs wonderfully with salmon and seafood.

Sparkling wines as an ideal complement

Champagne is an ideal choice for sushi of all kinds. Blanc de blancs are also recommended. Dry sparkling wine in particular is the ideal complement to the Japanese dish: the tart, sparkling taste underlines the aromas of the raw fish and the acidity of the wine harmonises very well with the rice vinegar, which is a must in the traditional preparation of sushi rice.

Sushi lets wine aromas take precedence in the nose

Unlike many other western foods, sushi is relatively odorless. The fine aromas of the colorful rice rolls only unfold on the palate. This has the advantage that the nose can fully concentrate on the bouquet of the wine and this is not mixed with the intensive aromas of the food.

Photo credits: Pia Strehn