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Sake blends beautifully
with sushi ingredients

I love sushi! Luckily Hawaii has great sushi, at all levels, from the Sushi Nazi, to conveyor belts of goodies, and everything in between. I love the beautifully fresh raw ingredients artfully packed with perfectly cooked rice and a lace of wasabi essence.

What do I enjoy drinking most with sushi? Well, it's easy to figure out that the best wines for sushi are also the best for most raw fish preparations, such as sashimi, poke and carpaccio. Here are some recent favorite pairings:

Sake!

A no brainer, right? The beautifully pure and delicate flavors of sake meld with the subtle fish and rice of sushi -- unlike many grape wines, which can overpower sushi's flavors and clash with the heat of wasabi and the saltiness of soy.

But there are so many sakes, which do I choose? Sake, rice wine, is just as varied in breadth and scope as grape wine. Basically there are three levels, junmai, ginjo and junmai daiginjo, the major difference being the amount of rice that is polished away from each kernel. Generally speaking, the more rice that has been polished away, the higher the quality. There are many to choose from at every level, but I recently tried two excellent daiginjo sakes that I have to tell you about. Both are from names you'll recognize.

The first is from Gekkeikan, whose major production center is in Fulsom, Calif. But this sake, Horin ($35), is imported from Japan. Horin has a pure and relaxing aroma, like the smell of rain on a grass meadow. It is equally relaxing on the palate, with a cleansing and harmonious finish. This would be a real treat to share with friends at the sushi bar.

The other is a new one from another major producer, Momokawa. Its new sake is called Joy ($25), to reflect the brew masters' feelings when they mastered the final blend after a year and a half of work.

This sake is very different from Horin; it is aged and has a much deeper aroma and flavor. It has a unique scent of honey, followed by a touch of spice and creaminess. Very rich, almost heavy for sake with a super long and intense aftertaste. Have the Horin with the lighter stuff and serve the heavier, fattier cuts of fish with Joy.

Yes, the world of wine includes sake and we're definitely seeing more of them. Their ability to pair with Hawaii's Regional Cuisine and their lack of sulfites make them extremely popular. Many say that the best ones don't make it out of Japan. True or not, plenty of good ones are already here.

Spanish alternative

A new wine is being made in Spain by a Japanese bio-chemist, Yoko Sato, specifically for sushi. The 2004 Oroya ($9) is made from a blend of three different grapes, airen, macabeo and muscat. Don't worry about pronouncing them, that's why they call it Oroya.

The wine has a soft, fruity scent of citrus and flowers; it is light and refreshing, with an uncanny affinity for sushi. Skeptical? Well, the only way to find out is to try. At less than 10 bucks a bottle, it's well worth it.

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