The Perfect Wine To Pair With Tuna Crudo

Tuna crudo is refreshingly simple to make, yet elegant — you can really focus on the richness and freshness of the fish and the flavors of the dressing and accompaniments you choose. The only way to improve on that kind of perfection is with a next-level wine pairing. It can be a game-changer to know the exact type of wine that will enhance the dish's flavors and textures, and that will in turn be enhanced by the dish. To figure out what this wine just might be, we sought expert advice from Amy Racine, beverage director and partner at JF Restaurants.

"Albariño and tuna crudo is an excellent pairing," Racine says. "Albariño's high acidity cuts through the richness of raw tuna, cleansing the palate and preventing the dish from feeling heavy. The wine's bright citrus notes, often reminiscent of lemon, lime, and grapefruit, beautifully complement the delicate, briny flavors of the tuna and the minerality adds a refreshing and slightly salty character that echoes the ocean's influence on the tuna." A Spanish white wine from the Iberian Peninsula, Albariño started being produced in California, too, within the last 15 years. The grape is thick-skinned, making production tougher and this wine more precious, and those skins also contribute pith-like bitterness that beautifully balances the wine's fruity sweetness and acidity.

Albariño has a few variations. There's the Spanish version Amy Racine refers to, with notes of lemon zest, grapefruit, honeydew, and nectarine. The grape varietal is also used to make Portugal's Vinho Verde, a bright, fizzy wine also worth getting to know. The Vinho Verde made with Albariño grapes, called Alvarinho in Portugal, also tastes like fresh fruit, specifically grapefruit, along with floral notes. Then there's the Albariño wine made in California. It differs from the Spanish original because the latter's grapes grow in a cool climate, creating the wine's lightness and minerality. When these grapes grow in relatively warmer central California, the wine they make is still bright but more medium-bodied, with the fruit notes leaning more tropical.

All three of these different takes still have a common profile of fruitiness, at least some minerality, acidity, salinity, and a dry finish — in other words, any one you choose would pair beautifully with tuna crudo. You can perfect this team-up with your sauces. A classic choice, for example, is ponzu sauce. Ponzu sauce is traditionally made with Japanese citrus, so it has a bright, fruity profile just like Albariño. Soy sauce would play on the wine's salinity, while a mango salsa would ramp up tropical sweetness. You can also turn to different types of vinaigrette to punch up that acidity — lemon is an ideal match, while herb vinaigrette would round up the pairing's complexity with earthiness.