Pairing wine with fine cuisine is a matter of style and taste. It involves accounting for the subtleties of the wine to complement or counter certain aspects of the food. And it can take a lot of experimentation to find out what works best.

We at Matsuhisa would like to offer up a few suggestions when it comes to pairing sushi and wine in Denver.

Soft Shell Crab Roll

Crab meat has a delicate sweetness to it that can get overpowered by other flavors all too easily. It needs a wine that complements without hiding – offering a mingling of flavors that taste better together than either one does alone.  The citrus notes of a Grüner Veltliner like Loimer Langenlois provides just this sort of complement.

Toro Aburi

The slight searing of tuna belly presents a flavor profile that’s a little trickier than just straight toro would be. It’s not just the fatty nature of the tuna; it’s the hints of charring that come from the searing process. A Pinot noir, which so often goes well with steak, would be a good match here, such as Morey Coffient Rouge.

Maguro

A Pinot noir would also match with maguro tataki for much the same reason as it would the toro aburi. But if the dish is unseared maguro, a potentially better match might be a good California Chardonnay like Matsuhisa by Martin Ray.

Vegetable Roll

Vegetable rolls pose somewhat of a different challenge for a good wine pairing, since a lot of the things that give sushi flavor may taste similar, but react very differently from a chemistry perspective. Even so, there are wines which go well with this roll. A Sauvignon blanc from Cakebread Cellars would be the best recommendation we could make.

Uni

There’s no question that uni is one of those sushi dishes that people have definite opinions about one way or the other. And the unique flavor profile is not one that lends itself well to commonly found wines. It requires something distinctive and equally unique. An albariño from Spain, like La Caña, is distinctive enough and has the right flavors to be a great match for this dish.

Matsuhisa

Whatever your preferences, Matsuhisa is certainly ready to help you match up your favorite sushi to your favorite vintage. We proudly serve the best sushi in Denver and the perfect wines to go with it.