I need some help. I have a date tomorrow and we’re planning on staying in and eating sushi. I offered to take care of the wine, and she the dinner.
When I asked for recommendations she mentioned that a nice Pinot would go well with sushi. I said “okiedokie, you got it!”
Now what the heck is a Pinot? From some quick internet browsing there appear to be more than a few varieties that fall under the category “Pinot”. What’s the difference between these? Would any of them go particularly well with sushi versus other ones?
FYI, I’m able to go into the $20-25 price range if anyone has any recommendations.
Well, the first thing I’d do is call her and ask her to be specific. Barring that, the general rule is white with fish, red with meat, white with light, red with heavy. Keep in mind that this is a VERY general rule. That said, go get a good Pinot Grigio, or better yet, and good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. If you go heavy on the wasabi, try a Gewurtztraminer.
You’d have to ask her for sure, but she probably means Pinot Grigio, a white light-bodied wine, usually from Italy. It’s kind of trendy right now.
There’s also Pinot Noir, a soft-bodied red wine that I like a lot, but the Grigio would go better with sushi. You can also get a good bottle for less $ than a Pinot Noir too, which tends to be on the pricey side.
Specific about what? If you mean about the food itself, I’d imagine we’d probably get an assortment of sushi rolls containing anything from salmon to crab to yellowtail to whatever.
But if you mean about the wine itself, well I probably should’ve asked at the time. At this point I’d rather her not know how I’m struggling over it. Of course, after the fact it’ll be a different story.
Oh, I forgot to mention - Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are different names for the same varietal, and there is good California Pinot Grigio/Gris too. Estancia makes a nice one.
If I were you I’d just go with a pinot grigio. It’s the most obvious choice. Then, if she expresses surprise or disapproval you will be in the position of having gone with the most likely choice. Then you could quite reasonably say “Well, why didn’t you say so?”
It refers to the type of grape used - pinot grapes come in several varieties and are often used in the making of burgundies and champagnes. Pinot Noir is a dark purple grape (you probably know already that ‘noir’ means black in French). Pinot Grigio is a different variety of the same type of grape (‘grigio’ means gray in Italian).
Well, the consensus seems quite clearly in favor of a Pinot Grigio, so if there are no major objections by the time I make it to the store, either later tonight or tomorrow afternoon, a PG it is.
Damn. I shoulda just ran out to the store right after my last post and gotten it over with. But noooooooo, I have to wait just a bit longer. “Moe, what if there are some more interesting insights that come up on the subject after you leave, then what? huh? huh? Nyeh Nyeh nyeh…”
I agree completely with shelbo. I have never in my life heard anyone use the term “Pinot” alone to mean Pinot Grigio. I have only heard it used to mean Pinot Noir.
The answer, then, is to do what I suggested a few hours ago: Call your girlfriend and ask her to be specific as to the wine she wants. Tell her there are several that you are looking at, and ask her what her favorite is.
I agree, though, that “Pinot” by itself usually means Pinot Noir. It’s just that I would not drink Pinot Noir with sushi. Yuck!
This may not help much, but … When I have heard “Pinot” alone, it has always meant “Pinot Noir” (a red wine). But, the wine the really would go better with the sushi would be a “Pinot Grigio” (a white wine). The Pinot Noir would tend to be a bit overpowering for sushi, I would think. I still think you can get the Pinot Grigio and come up with a convincing explanation of why you got it instead of the Pinot Noir.
ummm… BTW, I can probably take a stab at this but as long as we’re here, can anyone give me a little help with the correct pronounciation of “Pinot Grigio”?
I agree that Pinot Grigio would go better with sushi. I also agree that I’ve never heard “Pinot” used by itself to mean other than Pinot Noir; however, it’s possible his date is somewhat inexperienced in wine herself and simply picked up a term she heard someone say at some time, or she may have experienced Pinot Grigio before and couldn’t remember the “Grigio” part of its name. (Hey, it happened to me once and I love the stuff.)
Regarding pronunciation, the television ads I’ve seen and the liquor store people I know all pronounce it pee-no gree-gee-oh (as in "gee, mom, I don’t know how that dent got in the fender).
um…buy a bottle of both? Then, start with a light appetizer, say some smoked white fish, and break out the Grigio. When you move to the sushi, ask innocently, “would you prefer the Pinot Noir with the sushi?” Be strong, and convincing, that you think ‘but of course the red Pinot goes better with sushi’, but why would you overrule her desires if she wants to stick with the white?
Then, you have leftover wine! If the night goes well, you can always, suggestively yet lightly, suggest that a late afternoon the next day to chat, nibble on some food, and of course finish off the wine would be in order.
