An experiment

[Florida Jim]

Not too long ago, I read an on-line article about red wine with sushi; this being part and parcel to a theory I was unaware of called the cuisine of subtraction. After reading about everything that Google could provide regarding this theory and not getting much of a feel for it, I thought I’d give it a try this evening.

So, with tuna sushi roll:

1996 Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin, En Mortet:

From the outset, this translucent wine showed secondary development with an earthy, bottle bouquet punctuated with spice and red fruit scents; quite complex and attractive; silken texture with a medium bodied attack, bright and complex on the palate with flavors that echo the nose, good concentration and structure, evident secondary development, fair balance (perhaps, a trifle acidic); and a long, mouth-watering finish.

The wine and food pairing was truly interesting. The sushi did not suffer against it but, OTOH, the wine seemed to make little difference in the flavors the food presented; it did not overwhelm, enhance or make much difference. However, although the wine seemed a bit odd at first, after a bite or two, its earthen character seemed to take on another dimension of flavor. Its fruit, being relatively restrained when the wine was tasted alone, also came to the fore against the food. All in all, I’d say the wine benefited by the pairing more than the food. It was a fascinating experience and, to those of you who feel open-minded enough to try it, I recommend just that.

I’m not sure this will become my go to wine for sushi nor do I think I will pair my best Burgundies against such cuisine, but there was no denying the synergy that took place in this pairing. An instructive moment and one that stretched my rather prosaic understandings of wine with food.

For anyone interested, the article that started it all is located here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry638050

Best, Jim