It’s no secret that Pennsylvania offers a tremendous number of BYOB (bring your own beverage) restaurants. Bringing your own bottle offers a more financially approachable dining experience—and more control over the wine you really want to drink. As I learn more about the central Pennsylvania restaurant community and its local customers, I’ve become passionate about encouraging and guiding more adventurous dining experiences. And what better way to do that when the customer has some say in the matter!
I brought a variety of wines to pair with sushi to my favorite BYOB establishment, Yuzu Asian Cuisine. I like to dine there after getting off the Amtrak train from an excursion to New York City. The owners, Jessica Zheng and Harry Chen, opened Yuzu 10 years ago after its former life as a pizzeria. The couple features authentic Japanese sushi in a modern, fresh way and varying regional Asian cuisines. In their calm, serene setting near the bustling Lancaster transportation hub, Jessica and Harry have embraced the BYOB trend. Check out my detailed sushi and wine pairings and recommendations below.
A symbol of heritage, comfort and nourishment, miso soup is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Such soups—clear broth or those made with coconut or lemongrass—pair with lighter styles of wine. Try an Alsatian white wine such as Paul Blanck & Fils Pinot Blanc, with its notes of apricot, apple and lemon. Or, look to the King of Alsace wines, Riesling from organic producer Domaine Schoech—dry, racy and delicate, balancing the salty or citrus flavors of brothy soups. Another fine option is Austrian Gruner Veltliner such as the one by Von Kisel, which offers subtle flavors of stone fruit, pear, white pepper and lime zest, all complementing the earthy tones of miso soup.
Authentically clean and fresh, seafood-focused sushi such as scallop nigiri, yellowtail sashimi or a blend of raw fish in a Naruto roll will pair expertly with a bright and fresh, not overly acidic Albariño. Try locally sourced Grandview Estate Dry Albariño or a minerally Erbaluce di Caluso like the one by the Italian producer Cieck, which has mild notes that inspire the flavors of clean raw seafood. These lighter wine styles will also pair well with avocado, edamame, toasted/nutty flavors of sesame and/or mild scallions.
Spicy raw fish with jalapeño, spicy tuna or spicy salmon rolls generally pair well with off dry or Kabinett Rieslings that have a slight sweetness to balance the spice. If you are like me and find these dishes to be mild, I recommend pairing a wine with a bit more acidity like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or South African Chenin Blanc, both of which may increase the heat of these spicy bites.
Fried sushi rolls such as crunchy shrimp tempura or soft-shell crab rolls get a bit of pizzazz when paired with sparkling wines. Crémant d’Alsace by producers like Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam or biodynamic producer Domaine Camille Braun offer a brilliant frizzy and fresh balance to the light and crunchy textures of the rolls. Another great pairing for tempura seafood is the Puscifer “Queen B” Malvasia Bianca by Caduceus Cellars in Arizona. This orange wine, made from white grapes fermented on their skins, is “floral, bubbly and portable” in that it’s made in a can and easily taken to a BYOB restaurant. “Queen B” offers freshness, honeysuckle and orange blossom flavors that pair so well with savory soy and umami-rich dashi sauces on tempura sushi.
Richy and creamy dishes such as Kani salad (crab, cucumber, tobiko, mayo) and Dragon Rolls (eel, avocado) require more full-bodied white wines. Fatty ingredients like mayo and avocado lend to beautiful pairings with California Chardonnays like Maritana Vineyards “La Riviere” from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, which expresses white flowers, toasted brioche and ripe lemon flavors with a textural backbone that will hold up to creamy flavors and consistencies.
Unagi (eel) sushi prepared Kabayaki style—marinated in soy, mirin and sugar, grilled and topped with a similarly sweet-umami sauce—pairs well with Rhone-style whites like Site Wines Viognier from Santa Barbara County, which offers apricot, honeyed tangerine flavors and a slight bitter almond texture. I also liked Terminim Wines “Cépages d’Or” (Marsanne/Roussanne/Picpoul Blanc/Viognier), made by respected winemaker veterans Donald Patz and François Villard in California, and expressing exotic fruits such as mango and passion fruit. Both wines stand up to the full, savory flavor of the eel without being overpowered.
If you’re more interested in pairing red wines with Unagi, may I recommend the light and lively gamay-grape-made Juliénas “Roche Bleue” by Laurent Perrachons & Fils, which fills the palate with black tea, fresh blackberry and dried-cherry flavors that tango with Unagi dish flavors. I also recommend the savory, deep pink rosé made from Grenache grapes and made in Taval, France—the only place in the world where only rosé is allowed. Tavel rosé has a structure similar to lighter red wines and can carry the bold textures of Unagi and its umami-rich sauces.
Fattier fishes, for example, salmon and toro (fatty tuna) as well as Japanese Wagyu sushi, pair well with lighter, fruitier styles of red wines such as Weingut Hareter Thomas Zweigelt, the Perrachon Juliénas mentioned above, or a young, fresh Pinot Noir like Maritana Vineyards Le Russe, which is aromatic with raspberry, cola and cherry notes. Fattier foods can pair well with more full-bodied wines, but the wines must have a decent amount of acidity and not too much oak that can overpower the delicate nature of the sushi. I also recommend a modern Chateuaneuf-du-Pape like Château Maucoil, which offers red-cherry buoyancy and brambly herbaceousness or even Lewis Cellars “Racecar Red” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley), which is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon of sufficient acidity and a delicate touch to drive home the pairing.
I hope you find these flavor combinations intriguing and will entice you to try new things on your sushi adventures! I encourage you to be brazen, adventurous and bring a bottle or two that you’ve never tried before to your favorite BYOB restaurant.
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