How to Pair Wine With Sushi

While it might be natural to drink sake in a sushi restaurant as one would drink a Nero D'Avola in an Italian one, for some, sushi and sake aren't exactly a match made in heaven. Considered an emerging novelty and acquired taste to many American palates, sake has long been the go-to for sushi and has a tradition of accompanying one another in Japan.

But if the sui generis expression of sake's flavor is not for you, wine can work just as well with your shrimp tempura roll or salmon nigiri.

We asked leading beverage directors from some of New York City's top sushi restaurants on exactly how to pair wine with every kind of fish, shellfish, vegetable and roll.

Raw Seafood

Generally, fatty pieces of fish need higher acidity and tannins, while leaner fish need softer, round wines. When pairing simply prepared fish such as sashimi, the conversation is about adding acid to cut through fat.

"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," says Chelsea Carrier, beverage director of New York City's o ya.

Tuna can lend itself to a variety of wines since it ranges from delicate (yellowfin) to robust (fatty tuna), including white Burgundy, a structured rosé or even a Pinot Noir with a higher acidity if enjoying bluefin otoro.

Lighter fare like hamachi (Pacific yellowtail or amberjack), amaebi (sweet shrimp) and hotate (scallop) also loves a crisp Chablis says Frank Cisneros, beverage director of Michelin-starred restaurant Ichimura at Uchū. He specifically leans towards a richer style of Chablis like Domaine LaRoche.

Salmon is an easy match to remember: go pink. Or more specifically, Sushi Ginza Onodera beverage director Yuki Minakawa recommends a rosé from Provence.

Strong fish like mackerel need a wine to tone down its robust flavor, so you don't end up with too much of a fishy aftertaste. Go for a glass from Alsace, such as a dry Muscat, like the 2010 Domaine Zind Humbrecht. "It has an expressive bouquet of white flowers and a touch of white peach on the palate that will make the mackerel taste much more delicate," says Jonathan Charnay, beverage director of Masa.

Minakawa would also suggest a glass of Grüner Veltliner. It has complexity, salinity and a touch of white pepper that complements the flavor of mackerel, and and its acidity balances the fat.

Cooked Seafood

Cooked seafood like crab meat, barbecue eel and marinated octopus are all about richness. Here we need a wine to complement the fatty, full flavors.

White wines, particularly Chablis and Riesling, work well with cooked crab meat. Charnay likes a Riesling from the Mosel Valley in Germany. His pick: the 2015 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Hatzenporter Stolzenberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs. "It is an ethereal wine, with high acidity and great complexity. Its passion fruit qualities and low alcohol blend perfectly with the full-flavored crab," says Charnay.

Grilled eel (unagi) can have a caramelized and smoky flavor, so this is one of the few times in sushi that we see a red wine with silky tannins make a play in sushi. A great match according to Charnay is the 2012 Algueira Pizarra from Ribeira Sacra—it's light-bodied with smoky undertones and electrifying minerality.

Beaujolais finds a friend with octopus. It's slightly earthy touch complements the marinated seafood. Minakawa leads diners towards a 2016 Domaine des Marrans Morgon Corcelette at Sushi Ginza Onodera.