The Best Wine To Pair With Your Sushi Dinner

For sushi lovers, the unique flavors, the kiss of the ocean, the freshness, and the small portions that allow for myriad bites are beloved. But a sushi dinner isn't without hurdles to surmount. Chief among them may be what drink to pair with maki, nigiri, and sashimi.

Sake is a natural choice, but the Japanese rice wine — technically a beer — isn't to everyone's liking and, in fact, sake isn't usually paired with sushi in Japan. Beer is another popular choice, but again, it's not for everyone, especially the gluten-sensitive. Wine, then, becomes a natural choice, but with so many varieties to choose from, which is the perfect pairing and which will fall flat or even make the sushi taste worse?

Sushi is typically made up of delicate flavors. It is a cuisine that can easily be overpowered by a big, brooding wine. As with most seafood dishes, white wine is the best bet for accentuating sushi's natural flavors. White wine, though, comes in myriad varieties and there are missteps that can be made when trying to pair just any old white with sushi. The key here is to find a wine that is assertive enough to be present on the palate without overtaking the whole meal. Look for white wines that are exceedingly dry as they offer a pleasant mix of fruit and mineral flavors that both please and cleanse the palate between bites.

Grüner Veltliner is a delightful pour next to a plate of sushi. This dry, high-acid wine is produced predominantly in Austria but can also be found in Germany, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia. Its crispness on the palate belies an acidity that really shines when paired with richer cuts of fish. Like a knife, the acid cuts through the fat, ensuring that neither the sushi nor the wine muscles ahead with too much force.

Let's say you've upped the richness of your sushi by opting for a roll with fried shellfish. A Sauvignon Blanc's balanced citrus and acid and light body work well with a range of sushi flavors, from shrimp tempura rolls to vegetable rolls with asparagus or avocado. It doesn't hurt that it is one of the most ubiquitous white wines in the U.S., so finding it on a menu or in a wine shop will be no trouble.

Of course, some folks simply don't care for white wine, preferring a glass of red. While red wine with fish is not unheard of, in the case of sushi, even the lightest of reds will likely dominate the meal. What's more, there is a scientific reason why red wine shouldn't be paired with sushi: The iron content is such that it can bind to the oils in fish and leave an unpleasant metallic flavor coating the palate.