Sparkling with Sushi and other fun bites at Vintners' Holidays

November 5, 12:19 PMSF Wine and Drinks ExaminerLiza Zimmerman

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Sushi at the ready for pairing at the Ahwahnee.
Liza the Wine Chick

I had a chance to visit the Ahwahnee in Yosemite this past weekend. The last time I was in the park I climbed Half Dome, had a beer and left without eating any rabbit or venison so this was a treat. I had no idea such a lovely hotel and fantastic chef and wine program awaited in the depths of the forest.

I attended the first session of this year's festivities for Vintners' Holidays which featured the fabulous wines of J, Provenance, Mumm Napa and Sbragia. This gathering has been going on for more than 20 years, and has been moderated for eight of the last 28 of them by the fabulous San Francisco-based Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein.

My favorite seminar of the gathering was sparkling wine pairing with sushi. I have been a huge fan of bubbles matched with a wide range of foods for some time so it was great to see this message being taken with passion to the general public. The pairing featured an assortment of Mumm Napa sparklers paired with typical sushi delights.

The first match featured was an oyster paired with Blanc de Blancs. While I love Champagne with oysters I think the best pairing may well be simple white Bordeaux or the clean, lean whites of the Loire Valley such a Muscadet and Sancerre. Here's a recent story I did on the amazing synergies of white Bordeaux with oysters. I don't know that bubbles in this particular case had the richness to stand up to these oysters.

The best pairing across the line was the Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs non-vintage rosé. Its elegance, bright acidity and body give it the verve to match with and stand up to everything from salmon to tuna, spicy tuna and yellowtail. The fatty quality of most of these fish pairs beautifully with the richness of this, as it would with other, rosés. Rosé sparklers don't always work as well with ceviche but I will absolutely keep this match in mind when I eat sushi. Here's some more insight on sushi and wine pariings. Other favorite still wines to pair with raw fish include Albariños from Spain, the less creamy Torrontés from Argentina and Pinot Noir, both domestic and Burgundian if you are going for a lot of salmon (which I always do).

Cheers,

Liza the Wine Chick