What are some of the toughest dishes you have had to pair with a suitable wine? Wine killers such as artichokes, asparagus etc. excluded.........

Brothy soups are tough. Creamy soups are easier, get some oakey Chardonnay. It is kind of a texture thing - wey on wet.

Spicey dishes need extra care, if it is "super" spicey it may be a lost cause - maybe a "soda sweet" 9% Riesling, but not much else.

Anything with a vinegarette. I stick with Pelligrino.

I don't like wine with hot soup of any kind. Though I must admit that I have never tried Champagne.

I have trouble with broccoli rabe. And I love broccoli rabe.

jb

Salads with a vinegar based dressing. Combine that with Tomato's Cucumbers, Lettuce, ... and it just doesn't work very well for me. I've not found any wines I'd like to drink.

I love spicey meat rubs. The especially kicky ones are tough as I want a red with the meat, but the spice can kill red wines.

Wasabi! And I'm not talking about Wasabi based sauces etc (like mayo and so forth) I'm talking about wasabi on sushi. Just too strong for riesling (which is my favoured wine for sushi.) , in fact too strong for many things.

Pickled onions! I've yet to find something I can drink with these- beer works well enough.

JB - Most cream-based soups taste really, really nice with a chilled (not ice cold) Viognier.

And I had a very nice French Rose` that was quite nice with a salad with vinaigrette. Surprised the heck out of me that the wine held up as well as it did. I normally push it away with the salad course.

Tough matches are Indian cuisine or Sushi. I always walk that red/white line, never knowing which one is going to suit best.

Actually I found some Pinots work well with Indian food. Sushi on the other hand has to be either beer or sake for me

landshark,

if nobody has welcomed you yet, considered yourself welcome. come on in and post often.

sushi shouldn't be so hard. but i agree with jeremy. add wasabi and you have a whole new game.

Champagne and sushi are a heavenly match. Even with the wasabi it's all good.

I'll give that a whirl next time around.

What is sushi without wasabi, but I will try Champagne next time.
Thanks, for the welcome.

what is sushi without wasabi? delightful! too many people miss out on the true taste of the fish by adding (too much) wasabi.

I am not talking about too much wasabi, It just a fact that most sushi is served with wasabi between the fish and the rice. Sashimi and special sushi may have their own sauce or none but it is wasabi and soy sauce with any basic sushi.

I agree, t-bird

a fact? between the fish and rice? please tell me where you get your sushi served this way. i will stay away from it.

Quote:

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I am not talking about too much wasabi, It just a fact that most sushi is served with wasabi between the fish and the rice. Sashimi and special sushi may have their own sauce or none but it is wasabi and soy sauce with any basic sushi.

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If your are defining sushi as any dish made with vinegared rice then wasabi is not necessary. But unless you ask for no wasbai (Sabinuki. `No wasabi, please.') standard everyday sushi, Nigiri sushi, handmade sushi consisting of a ball of vinegared rice and a streak of Japanese mustard (wasabi) covered with a slice of fish or other topping, does come with wasabi. We are talking about Aji: Spanish mackerel, Ama-ebi: Sweet shrimp, Ebi: Shrimp, Bonito, Geoduck: Mirugai, Hamachi: Yellowtail, Hotatagai: Scallops, Ika: Squid, Kohada: Gizzard shad, Kurodai: Snapper, Maguro: Tuna, Toro: Fatty tuna, Tako: Octopus and many others. That is true of every sushi bar any where in the world. Some styles of sushi do not have wasabi, albacore for example usually has a ponzu garlic sauce, some others like Unagi: Freshwater eel has a sticky sweet Tare sauce for example
I think what you are referring to is people who put a large chunk of wasabi in their soy sauce for dipping the fish; this I agree over powers the fish flavors. One should use very little wasabi in the soy sauce or none at all. Many others styles come with their own specific sauce to dip or marinate.
If you want a list of the best sushi bars here in LA or in other parts of the world, I can provide one. Fish quality, creative inventiveness or both are the defining characteristics of great sushi not wasabi.