Written by Marie Servagnat on November 16, 2013
It's been a while since I wanted to talk to you about sushi and champagnes, if only for the growing trend for sushi and for my interest in the subtle blends of Japanese cuisine and French wines. Having been to Japan several times, it was in France that I waited to be able to confirm the experience of meeting Sushi & Champagne.
During my residencies in Japan for several weeks, I observed that the flagship Japanese drinks, apart from their famous and essential teas (Sencha, hojicha, ...) and which goes with almost everything, are: beer, sake, Umesho (royal plum wine) and sometimes even Scotch! On one momentous occasion, on the island of Shikoku, I had the opportunity to taste a bottle of Mouton Rothschild with Nigiri, and personally I was not a fan of this particular game.
Sake and beer are always the right choices in a sushi bar. An unsteady wine does seem to really pair wonderfully with the seaweed and varieties of fish on the well-stocked sushi bar menus, but Champagne is hard to find in inexpensive sushi restaurants and it is at risk to pay it a bit expensive.
The Sushi and Champagne marriage tickled me all the same and I fell in love by finding a Bollinger Brut Rosé champagne on the spot, in a shop in the Shibuya district of Tokyo (a very trendy, but expensive district!). Indeed, rosé champagnes go very well with sushi but also with spicy cuisine (see an article on champagne and spices pairing).
Sushi & Champagne
Japanese cuisine and Champagne are really in perfect balance, and without playing the apprentice chemist, I would hypothesize (already heard in the mouths of some bubble specialists) that the high content of Champagne yeast at the same time and soy sauce (closely related and present) partly explains this compatibility, just as compatible as a Chablis with oysters.
The problem of finding Champagne in a sushi bar will be less perilous in France, but the price you will be offered remains to be seen, so as not to go uncovered just for a meal !
It is best to take a little time, carefully concocting your own sushi at home (the best solution) or to go get your sushi from a Japanese caterer (a real Japanese preferably, or else avoid very in vogue, whose sushi is generally frozen and basically very disappointing for an aficionados).
For the types of champagnes or wines to recommend with sushi, I suggest the rather spicy and slightly sweet wines from Alsace (Gewurztraminers, Pinot gris) and their companions from the rest of the world (German Gewurzs, Argentinian Torrontes) remain the best choices.
Otherwise, the less affluent or the smartest will be able to afford a cheap champagne, not to mention Belgian beer which goes really well.
Finally, as the major problem of the wine-sushi synergy remains, in my opinion, soy sauce and wasabi, I advise you not to soak your sushi in the sauce! Take it slow and dip or gently lick only one side of your sushi (usually the fish part, because overly wet rice may break the sushi). This will give you a better taste of the sushi itself, and it will make pairing with wine all the more pleasant.
And when it comes to learning how to make sushi, it's not that complicated to get a foot in the basics of Japanese cooking, it is mostly about being meticulous, having the right products and the right knives. sharp !
