SAKE vs. WINE The Fundamentals of Food Pairings, Scientifically Explained

By Toshio Ueno, Sake School of America / Mutual Trading Co., Inc.

Is sake only suitable when paired with washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine? Or can sake accompany Western fare like wine? The answer: there are no set rules, whether it’s sake or wine. But one may pair better than the other from a scientific per- spective.

To find out how, let’s first look at the types of acids in both beverages. Red and white wines contain five times more acid than sake, notably the tart-tasting tartaric acid. Sake contains no tartaric acid. Wines also contain the sour-tasting acetic acid, most commonly found in vinegar, at a level eight times more than in sake. Hence, wines are generally sour tasting and require care in pairing with food to best highlight their “cleansing” benefits.

Sake, on the other hand, is characterized by a different kind of acid known as succinic acid. It’s the same acid that imparts the umami (essence of deliciousness) flavors contained in seafood. With four times the succinic acid than in wines, sake is the overall pairing champion to a wide variety of seafood, including raw oysters. White wines, by comparison, are poor accompaniments.

Interestingly, when sake is warmed, the umami flavors trapped within the succinic and lactic acid molecules blossom to further enhance the umami experience. The acids contained in wines – tartaric, citric,malic and acetic – taste best when chilled. This explains why wines are generally best served chilled or at room temperature, while sake can be enjoyed at a wider range of temperatures, from chilled to warmed and even hotter.

In acidity levels, the differences are dramatic and each has its own benefits. In Western cuisine, olive oils are often used to suppress the fishy smells in seafood dishes. White wines are prevalent, as they are rather high in acidity, which functions as the ideal palate cleanser. Sake, on the other hand, lacks the acid concentration to neutralize oils as efficiently as wines do. In overcoming that hurdle, sake is comparatively brewed at a higher alcohol concentration, usually settling at around 16%. This high alcohol level in sake helps dissipate oils to deliver a clean finish. A sake low in acid and low in alcohol would simply be unbalanced, tasting dull and sweet, in contrast to one that is brewed to achieve that perfect balance of acidic and alcoholic components.

More brewers are developing sake that pairs better with Western foods. They are adding more acidity to balance the oils and fats while maintaining a high level of umami to keep the deliciousness of the sake. These sakes are finding new fans internationally, well beyond traditional washoku dining experience.

The complete article can be found in Issue #282 of the Tokyo Journal.