With a couple bottles left over from the previous night’s yakitori dinner, and a Riesling opened with some barbecue gambas two days earlier, we decided to prepare some home-made tempura to taste with the large variety of white wines, as well as a ripe Languedoc red which I will omit because it really didn’t work with anything.
Saint-Bris Sauvignon
First in the lineup was a light Sauvignon Blanc from Saint-Bris. While Clothilde Davene also makes a wonderfully mineral “vieilles vignes” bottling, this entry-level offer was more on the varietal side, with green grass notes and a sharp Chablis-like acidity. Not surprising, considering it comes from the same general area.
The wine generally performed very well, and was perhaps the best all-round companion to the tempura, though the herbal aromas clashed with the piman (bell pepper) and overpowered the renkon (lotus root). On the other hand, the green Sauvignon touch matched beautifully with the asparagus, with floral aromas emerging and a welcome freshness adding length. This freshness was also the key to pairing the wine with shrimp and squid, and in particular the very “neba-neba” (gooey, sticky) okra, for which the wine acted as a palate cleanser. The tsuyu dipping sauce brought out a subtle citrus touch, which was also quite pleasant.
Dry Rheingau Riesling
The Rheingau Riesling I had left over from our anniversary celebration is produced by Peter Jakob Kühn, a top estate using biodynamic methods (a rarity in the region). With an extra couple days to unwind in the fridge, the wine was extremely intense and explosive aromatically and on the palate.
It didn’t clash with any of the tempura, although it shined so beautifully on its own that it completely overshadowed the food’s subtlety. In general, the tsuyu dipping sauce brought out a little more fruit and spice, but the wine still stayed on top. It might have worked better on day one, when the wine was a bit more reserved, but in any case, there was just too much character in the glass for the tempura to really express itself.
Corsica Vermentino
A full-bodied white from the French island of Corsica, I specifically bought this bottle for the dinner. Antoine Arena is the star of the Patrimonio AOC, and is well-known for his whites. Although the shrimp was a bit overpowered, the wine did not clash with any of the tempura, but it didn’t really add much either. Overall, it turned out to be a safe choice, but lacking in excitement.
Overall, while the light Sauvignon Blanc worked quite well with most tempura, I think that a slightly more mineral wine would show even better. A Sancerre or 1er cru Chablis would be my first choice, but perhaps a coastal Sauvignon Blanc from Chile or South Africa would also make a fine pairing. Champagne remains the king of fried foods however, particularly a very mineral blanc de blancs.
