Sushi and Wine? Here's What Actually Works

Sake and beer are the default drinks at a sushi restaurant. That's fine. They're safe, they're traditional, and they work. But they're not the only things that work — and if you're the kind of person who'd rather have a glass of wine with dinner, you shouldn't feel weird about it.

The catch is that most wine-with-sushi advice is terrible. "Oh, just order a Sauvignon Blanc." Sure, that probably won't ruin anything, but it's also generic to the point of uselessness. The real move is to match the wine to the specific fish and preparation, not to "Japanese food" as a monolithic category. Tuna nigiri and a spicy crab roll are about as similar as a ribeye and a chicken Caesar.

Here's what actually works.

The Principle: Quiet Wines for Quiet Food

Sushi is one of the most texturally precise foods in any cuisine. Temperature matters. The rice-to-fish ratio matters. The soy sauce is measured in drops, not pours. Everything is intentional and restrained.

A big, oaky Chardonnay or a jammy Zinfandel will steamroll all of that subtlety. Gone. You might as well eat grocery store sushi if you're going to drown it in a heavy wine.

What you want instead:

• High acid — keeps things bright and palate-cleansing
• Low or no tannin — tannin plus raw fish creates a metallic, fishy taste that is genuinely unpleasant
• Slightly chilled — matching the cool temperature of the fish
• Minimal oak — oak flavor competes with the clean taste of fresh seafood

That narrows the field fast. And that's a good thing.

Nigiri: Champagne and Its Cousins

If you could only pick one wine for a full nigiri spread, it's Champagne. Or Crémant d'Alsace if you want to spend $18 instead of $55.

The bubbles and acid in sparkling wine act like pickled ginger — they reset your palate between pieces. Each bite of fish tastes fresh, not muddled by the last one. Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay-based) is ideal because it's the leanest and most mineral-driven style. Grower Champagnes from producers like Pierre Gimonnet or Larmandier-Bernier are perfect here — precise, chalky, not too fruity.

For lean white fish nigiri — tai (sea bream), hirame (flounder), suzuki (sea bass) — Muscadet is an under-the-radar killer. A good Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie from Domaine de la Pépière runs about $14 and tastes like the ocean. It's almost too obvious a pairing once you try it.

Fattier fish changes the equation. Salmon nigiri, toro (fatty tuna), hamachi (yellowtail) — these have richness that lean whites can't quite keep up with. Switch to a dry Riesling. An Alsatian Riesling from Trimbach or Josmeyer, or a Kabinett from the Mosel — something with just enough body and a whisper of stone fruit to meet the fat without overwhelming the fish. The $15-25 range is full of excellent bottles.

Rolls: More Flavor Means More Wine

Rolls are the wild card. Once you've added avocado, spicy mayo, tempura crumbs, cream cheese, or unagi sauce, you're not really in delicate-sushi territory anymore. You're eating something richer, bolder, and often warmer than nigiri.

This is where Albariño shines. A Rías Baixas Albariño from a producer like Do Ferreiro or Pazo de Señoráns ($16-22) has the acid to cut through mayo-based sauces, the body to stand up to fried elements, and a saline quality that flatters seafood in general. It's richer than people give it credit for.

Vinho Verde is another strong play, especially with lighter rolls. The slight spritz and low alcohol (usually 9-11%) make it refreshing without being wispy. It's also almost always under $12, which makes it easy to experiment with.

Spicy tuna rolls or anything with sriracha mayo need a wine with a tiny bit of residual sugar to tame the heat. An off-dry Gewürztraminer from Alsace handles this beautifully — the floral aromatics complement ginger and wasabi while the sweetness buffers the chili.

Sashimi: Chablis, Full Stop

Sashimi is raw fish without rice. No soy sauce puddle. No ginger pile. Just fish, sliced perfectly, maybe with a shiso leaf. This is the purest expression of the ingredient.

And the purest wine pairing is Chablis — unoaked Chardonnay from Burgundy. A village-level Chablis from William Fèvre or Domaine Billaud-Simon ($20-30) has the mineral precision, the acid backbone, and the absolute absence of distraction that sashimi demands. No butter. No vanilla. No oak. Just cold steel and limestone.

This is the cleanest pairing on this list. If you've never had good sashimi with good Chablis, put it on your short list. It's a quiet revelation — nothing shouts, everything fits.

The Surprise: Unagi Wants Red Wine

Here's where people raise an eyebrow. Grilled freshwater eel, basted in sweet soy tare, slightly charred. It's smoky, caramelized, rich, and sticky. It has almost nothing in common with a piece of raw tuna.

And it wants red wine.

A light Pinot Noir — think Bourgogne Rouge from a producer like Domaine Roulot or a good Oregon Pinot from Willamette Valley in the $20-30 range — has the earthiness to match the char and enough red fruit to complement the sweet glaze. Serve it slightly chilled, around 55-60 degrees.

Or go with Beaujolais — specifically a cru like Morgon or Fleurie. Chilled Gamay with unagi is one of those pairings that sounds wrong on paper and works immediately on the table. The wine's juicy, crunchy fruit and low tannin slide right alongside the sweet-savory glaze. Marcel Lapierre's Morgon or Jean Foillard's Fleurie are classics for a reason, both usually $22-30.

Trust me on this one. Order it once. You'll order it again.

When to Stick with Sake or Beer

All of the above applies when you're ordering a few pieces, picking your own fish, and eating at your own pace. But if you're sitting at an omakase bar — especially a high-end one where the chef is placing each piece in front of you — just go with sake.

It's the right call culturally. The chef chose the fish, the preparation, the order. Sake fits into that flow. A good junmai ginjo complements almost everything without competing, and it shows respect for the experience the chef is building.

Same goes if you're at a casual izakaya mixing sushi with tempura, yakitori, and edamame. A cold Asahi or Sapporo ties the whole meal together better than any single wine could. Sometimes the simple choice is the right one.

Quick Reference

Not sure which wine to grab for your sushi order? Point PairScan at the menu. The app reads the dishes, identifies the fish and preparation style, and recommends a specific wine — down to the producer and price point. Faster than scrolling through this article on your phone under the table.