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By The Glass By Chuck Furuya |
Wine and sushi
get together
at Maui festThe Kapalua Wine & Food Festival is right around the corner, attracting a virtual who's who list of America's wine industry. It is always a lot of fun, and the high-energy, dynamic master sommelier Andrea Immer has taken the event to a whole 'nother level.
I was amazed at the wine offerings Immer has selected for tasting this year. She also has coordinated some very interesting break-out events for those enthusiasts also looking to learn a thing or two along the way.
One of these breakout events will be an interactive sushi demonstration led by D.K. Kodama of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar and myself. We will be showcasing a new look to sushi, one that is much more wine-friendly.
Just for fun, here are our thoughts on the sushi to be paired with the three wines that the festival gave us to work with:
Miner Viognier (about $25): This is a pretty hefty white wine with elevated alcohol levels and a generous helping of oak character. Our thought is to use a rich seafood, perhaps hamachi or lobster, and incorporate ingredients such as shiso, marinated gobo root, a more savory sushi rice (replacing or lowering the vinegar and sugar) and perhaps even a little mayonnaise. This will help offset the wine's showy characteristics somewhat and make for an even, delicious finish.
Gosset Champagne ($47): Like most champagnes, the Gosset has a slight bitterness to the finish, which clashes with many seafood, sushi and/or sashimi recipes. So we're looking to select something rich and fatty to work with, such as unagi, marinated for a short time in olive oil with a little roasted garlic, then grilled. We would again use a more savory style of sushi rice and finish with a drizzle of truffle oil.
Josmeyer Pinot Blanc: With this wine, we will use sliced king clam seasoned with Kauai sea salt, coarsely fresh-cracked pepper, a drop of freshly squeezed lemon juice and garnished with finely chopped onion chives. Josmeyer is unavailable in Hawaii, but similar wines from Alsace, France, sell for $14 to $23.
Sound good? Then we hope to see you there.
Chuck Furuya is Hawaii's only master sommelier and a consultant to Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine
pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.
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