A Sushi Symphony

The first time I ate sushi, I made the unfortunate decision to dip into a hefty blob of wasabi like it was guacamole. Luckily, the experience didn’t damage my palate or my yearning to master the fine art of eating raw fish. My eagerness to learn about sushi coincided with my friend Takeda Motoi’s desire to increase his knowledge of wine. So Motoi, a Tokyo native and the associate concert master for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and I set out to pair what I considered to be perfect wines with what he considered to be the perfect sushi.

We met at his favorite restaurant, Yumeya Sushi Bistro, where Motoi goes most Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. when the seafood is delivered fresh from Japan. I arrived armed with a hefty bag of wines that predictably work well with the fresh, spicy, and salty flavors associated with sushi.

Motoi orchestrated a symphony of selections, and after barely a nod to Chef Keiichi Nagano, a program of artfully crafted morsels began.

Two side-by-side curls of Hamachi (yellow tail tuna) arched above a still-warm mound of rice and a spicy taco (octopus) were placed before us as chef Nagano pounded Aji (Spanish mackerel) upon my plate. “You must eat this sushi within 20 seconds,” instructed maestro Motoi.

Hurriedly I pulled out primarily white wines to counter this Wagner-esque task. From driest to sweetest they were Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Penfolds Eden Valley Reserve Riesling, Ste. Chapelle Gewürztraminer, Covey Run Morio Muscat, Jekel Riesling, and Michele Chiarlo “Nivole” Moscato d’Asti.

Though Moitoi found the wines pleasant, he stood firm in his belief that “sake works best with shellfish.” Undaunted, I pulled out my big bassoon—Champagne. We tried the Piper-Heidsieck Red Label Brut non vintage, a decadent 1990 “caves selection” from Heidsieck, and the toasty Nicolas Feuillatte Brut non vintage. All were delightful, even with a touch of wasabi.

Next, the chef positioned mounds of rice shingled with thinly sliced scallop that was, just seconds before, alive. The flavors were so delicate that I leaned toward the cold sake rather than most of my wines, which were too big and clumsy. Then a sizzling platter of slivered shitake mushrooms mixed with short textured tubes of varying lengths appeared from behind the counter. “Ah, the delicacy of Japan,” exclaimed Motoi. “The intestine from the live scallop.”

Rising to the crescendo, I played a dryish rose, the Montevina Nebbiolo Rosato,  along with a Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne, a red alive with fresh fruit.

In the end, Motoi’s favorite wines were the Ste. Chapelle Gewürztraminer and the crisper Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc, both with dry earthy flavors. However, I still contend that any of the Champagnes could have carried the whole meal. Chef Nagano never said a word; he just discreetly sipped his sake and smiled. Bravo!

Darryl Beeson, a national-level wine judge and cellar master at Voltaire, is also a writer and reporter on the subject. Last month, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend in his article about popping the question in a restaurant. She accepted.