Food and wine pairings according to Stevie Kim and Attilio Scienza

Today we are at Yama Sushi in the company of Mattia Rizzi, representative of Generation Z, and our Professor Attilio Scienza, ready to order an all you can eat menu to be combined with a few glasses of wine: before starting, however, let's find out how sushi is created.

Sushi was born as a method of preserving fish, Attilio explains, created by Japanese fishermen. While in the Mediterranean oil, salt or drying were used to preserve fish, in the Land of the Rising Sun these methods of preservation did not exist: instead, it was customary to put the fish under rice, which allowed a slow dehydration of the product and at the same time the creation of a ready and complete food

, precisely sushi.

What was the most unique place where you ate sushi, Attilio?

Once I was taken to a small place in Tokyo, hidden inside a subway station. I think a maximum of four or five people could fit in, but despite being so small, he had reservations up to two years later! I sat in front of the preparation counter, as is tradition, and ate some delicious fish

But I would say that the time has come to try the hosomaki just arrived, together with a wine that has acidity and aromatic notes: on the table we have the “Love” of Barberani, but also of the good Vermentino from the L'Airone winery. Or the classic, excellent Prosecco

On the plate we have sushi with salmon, sea bass, avocado: should we uncork another bottle for these foods?

I would like to try a lighter wine, such as the 2020 Grillo di Mandrarossa. With the nigiri, on the other hand, I would suggest a slave, the Quintessenz Classico Superiore by Kaltern: they match each other perfectly! Again, for courses with a more delicate taste, the rule is to look for an equally light wine, such as the Orvieto Classico Superiore “Luigi and Giovanna”, again from the Barberani winery

The best lesson that can be learned so far from this tasting experience is that the great culture of Japanese sushi is unexpectedly wonderfully combined with the great Italian culture of wine.

With salmon, we have also tried to combine it with Moscato. In general, how do you choose wine when the flavor of the fish is very strong?

You can throw yourself on quality sparkling wine, such as Champagne. With the courses in front of us now, however, I would like a glass of Criseo from the Guado al Melo company: a choice of character to balance flavors. Each type of sushi has its own structure, there is no truly universal wine to combine with all drinks — you have to choose what to drink from time to time to enhance the preparation you are eating. We are lucky to have such a wide choice of labels right now, playing with flavors and combinations is a joy for the

palate.

Certainly white wines predominate in the combinations, but we have also uncorked a red, a rosé. Seven wines in total (plus prosecco), which we summarize below in favor of readers

Slave: recommended courses with salmon, or with truffles.
Moscato: appreciable in the contrast of the strong fish flavor.
Sangiovese: great for cleaning the mouth and preparing it for the next course. It is acidic, vertical, it is associated with the simplest pieces
Grillo: perfect for pairing with aromatic sushi, thanks to the almost Nordic wine tiols it has.
Orvieto: perhaps the most versatile wine of all, compatible with practically any course in this case.
Vermentino: even Vermentino cleans the mouth with its fragrance, offers an aromatic contribution to the tasting.
Criseo: great to pair with sushi with prawns or prawns.

And that's all for today! This trip to the East allowed us to enjoy a real sensory experience, which we recommend you try to replicate — perhaps in the company of the best wines from the selection we have presented to you, such as Quintessenz and “Luigi and Giovanna”. Thanks for following us and... See you at the next episode!