Wine to Drink with Sushi and Bento Boxes

Six Wine Recommendations to Please Your Palate

Sep 21, 2009

With the rising popularity of take-out sushi and bento boxes for dinner at home or picnics, choosing wine to go with the variety and spiciness of the food is a challenge.

Long popular in California, sushi and bento boxes are hitting Main Street everywhere, including the Big Apple. Chicago has 112 sushi bars, Boston has 76, which is a most fitting number. Even Indianapolis has six.

Bento boxes, called Obentos, in Japan, are compartmentalized trays, some with drawers, holding an assortment of tasty bites of meats, vegetables, and seafood. This year two sushi and bento cafes opened in New York City. Named Yushi, which has no meaning in Japanese, the cafes offer a take-out menu of 75 items from Aunty Tao’s pad Thai to Zen chicken salad. There are six “Board room Bentos”, featuring steak, satay, gourmet sushi, and teriyaki specialties.

Even the French are getting into the act. In September, the Alliance Francaise handed out bento boxes in New York’s Central Park, containing small tastes of dishes prepared by top French chefs Pascal Barbot, Alexandre Gauthier, Michel Bras, and others.

Most sushi restaurants offer take-outs of their offerings and more American restaurants are putting sushi and bento boxes on their lunch and dinner menus.

Well, that is good for you heath, but it presents a challenge for wine. Sushi and bento boxes offer a wide range of flavors and textures, meats and seafood, fruits and vegetables, rice and pickles. Some items are sweet and some tart. What wines can work well with that variety of flavors?

Here are some recommendations to choose among, wines that will marry well with the kaleidoscopic flavors of sushi and bento boxes.

First, consider a rose. That is not a cop out. There are many New World pink wines on the market that are too sweet or too flabby (lacking in acidity), but here’s an exception. For both value and a perfect match with sushi and bento boxes, try the Toad Hollow Winery’s “Eye of the Toad”. It is a dark pink wine with the body that will hold up to teriyaki, yet it is light and fruity with proper acidity to go well with delicate dishes. There are hints of violets, cherries, orange, and pepper. It is priced less than $10. Both the Wine Spectator and the Wall Street Journal picked “Eye of the Toad” as a top ten wine bargain.

When asked for his recommendation, John Wright, the founder of Domaine Chandon winery and restaurant, a trend setter in Napa Valley’s gourmet ghetto, did not hesitate. “Champagne,” he said. “It is perfect with sushi.” John especially likes Chandon’s Blanc de Noir, a salmon-colored sparkling wine that turns to a refreshing yeasty froth in the mouth and retails at about $15. But he says almost any Champagne will work exceedingly well with sushi and bento boxes.

Roy Chung, sommelier at Roy's original restaurant in Honolulu did not hesitate either. “Chenin Blanc”, he said. “It has stone fruit flavors that go well with bento selections, and the right combination of sweetness and acidity to stand up to the vinegar-seasoned rice in sushi.” Mr. Chung likes South African and New Zealand Chenin Blanc. Pine Ridge Vineyards, Napa, markets a Chenin Blanc at $8.99.

Gwendolyn Osborn, who writes a wine blog for Wine.com, chooses King Estate Pinot Gris, 2007, $14. “This Oregon Pinot Gris has ripe, tropical fruit balanced by zippy acidity,” she said. “It is a perfect match for the mix of salty and spicy in a Bento Box.”

Here are two suggestions for red wine lovers: Lang and Reed Cabernet Franc and Duxoup (Pronounced duck soup) Charbono. Both of these grapes are rarely planted in the U.S., but they are major varietals worldwide: Cabernet Franc in Europe where it is blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; and Charbono in Argentina. The varietals are worth searching for because both are wonderful for picnics, sushi, and bento boxes. Lang and Reed specializes in Cabernet Franc. Their Northcoast and Napa Valley offerings are young, silky, and low in tannin, with cherry fruit and spice. Though many vintners craft Charbono to be heavy and loaded with tannin to compete with Cabernet Sauvignon, Duxoup’s version is soft and plump, so it will not overpower the delicate flavors of sushi and bento dishes. Both wines should be served slightly chilled. Retail prices are about $20.

Perhaps one also should consider sake, a traditional drink with Japanese food. The best sake is served chilled in wine goblets. Chef Andy Matsuda, of the Sushi chef Institute in Los Angeles, recommends Talara Sake USA's Sho Chiku Bai Nama sake. He said that it has a full, balanced, and fruity flavor that goes well with vinegar-seasoned and marinated foods. It is sold in 300ml bottles at a retail price of $7.50.

The copyright of the article Wine to Drink with Sushi and Bento Boxes in New World Wine is owned by Laird Durham. Permission to republish Wine to Drink with Sushi and Bento Boxes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.