Chef-Approved Sushi Pairings You Need To Try With Champagne
Whether you're spending the evening at home or heading out on the town, having a sushi dinner can often feel like a luxurious treat. If you're a fan of the Japanese dish, there are other ways you can treat yourself to an even better night. One pairing that works particularly well with sushi is champagne. Lucky for us, chefs and sommeliers have weighed in on some sushi combos that make an especially good match with some bubbly.
Bloomberg reports that champagne is the kind of wine that meshes well with nearly every type of sushi. Jonathan Adler, who is in charge of drinks at the upscale sushi bar Noda in New York, told Bloomberg that he developed a menu that allows guests to combine champagne and sushi solely; a choice that lets customers appreciate "the taste of the fish to linger harmoniously with the flavor of the Champagne." While champagne is generally a good go-to for any sushi dish, experts at top-notch sushi restaurants share what sushi pairings they believe work best with "The Devil's Wine."
Chefs and sommeliers explain what sushi and champagne pairings work best
Louis Andia, who runs Nakaji, a sushi restaurant in New York, shared with Bloomberg that "fatty tuna, like chu-toro or o-toro," go well with rosé Champagne because specific properties in each help balance one another out to improve the taste of the champagne and fish. In addition to fatty tuna, Benjamin Shiau, a sommelier at Kotaru in New York, said that "semifatty fish, like kanpachi (amberjack) or hamachi," go well with "vintage" champagnes because the number of bubbles and the drink's acidity complement "the buttery and velvety texture of fish with a bit of richness." Jonathan Adler from Noda added that "lean and mild-flavored fish, like ika (squid) or kinmedia (golden eye snapper)," couple well with a "blanc de blancs champagne" — or "white from whites" — because "nonvintage" champagne, with its chardonnay grapes, provide both acidity and minerality which give the delicate flavors of the nigiri a chance to really shine.
When it comes to "cooked seafood," Jonathan Charnay, a drink expert at the Japanese restaurant Masa in New York, told MICHELIN Guide that champagne goes well with uni, something he dubbed "ice cream from the sea" because champagne mixes well with its "sweet and salty" taste, along with its "creamy and smooth" exterior. Chelsea Carrier, the former beverage director at New York's O ya, said that lighter champagne works well with tempura to help balance out its fried taste.
What types of wine work well with sushi?
While sources suggest that sake is not the only drink you can enjoy with sushi, if you're not a champagne fan, you may wonder whether there are other types of wine that pair well. Chelsea Carrier told MICHELIN Guide that there are several types of wine she enjoys drinking with sushi. She said, "I love pairing Chablis or dry-expressions of Riesling, such as 2016 Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Forêts or 1990 J.B. Becker Riesling Spätlese Trocken Wallufer Berg Bildstock. The salty minerality of the Chablis and the piercing acidity of the Riesling help cut through the richness of the fish." Yuki Minakawa, who is in charge of drinks at Sushi Ginza Onodera in New York, said that with salmon, you should "go pink." For example, "a rosé from Provence" is an appropriate pairing with salmon sushi.
If you still feel like a beginner when it comes to sushi, you may want to explore the six different types of sushi. You can also check out the best sushi restaurant in every state and whether they have certain drink options available. For instance, Sushi Nakazawa in New York has a drink menu that includes beer, sake, wine, champagne, and sparkling wine. Sushi Den in Colorado has an extensive drink menu that includes five different types of champagne. While other drink options are available at many sushi restaurants, some experts seem to agree that champagne and sushi are "soymates."