Pairing Tempura With White Wines

By Bob Lipinski

Tempura, a Japanese specialty, consists of pieces of seafood, vegetables, or occasionally chicken, that are lightly battered, then deep-fried to a golden color. The batter, which must be light and thin, is made of flour (traditionally wheat), eggs, and ice water (or a cold lager beer).

It is believed that Portuguese Jesuits introduced this deep-frying cooking technique to the Japanese in the sixteenth century in Nagasaki. Some believe the word tempura derived from the Latin word tempora, referring to the Christian “fast days” when people couldn’t eat meat.

The deep-fried pieces of seafood or vegetables are then dipped into a sauce using a base of soy sauce with mirin (sweet rice wine) and dashi. It’s also quite common to add grated ginger or grated Japanese daikon radish into the dipping sauce. Tempura should never be greasy or heavy and is often accompanied by a dish of steamed rice, udon, or soba noodles.

Some common foods used in tempura are seafood — shrimp (tail-on), crab, scallops, and squid; and Vegetables — Bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, daikon radish, eggplant, green beans, lotus root, mushrooms, onions, pumpkin, and sweet potato.

Here are four dry white wines that will pair with a dish of hot, deep-fried tempura.

2021 Gebeshuber “Zierfandler,” Ried Modler, Gumpoldskirchen, Thermenregion, Austria. A biodynamic, single-vineyard wine. (Aged 8 months in oak barrels). Full aroma of nuts, lemon-lime, pineapple, and spices. Flavors of coconut, apple, and peach with a smoky aftertaste.

2022 Heidi Schröck & Söhne “Furmint,” Rust, Burgenland, Austria. (Aged in stainless steel and acacia barrels.) Yellow with greenish tones. Bouquet and flavor of anise, yellow apple, honeysuckle, and peach. Hints of grapefruit, chamomile, spices, and tobacco. Very dry with a citrus aftertaste.

2022 Coppo “Monteriolo” Chardonnay DOC, Piedmont, Italy. The winery has been making Chardonnay since 1984. This wine was aged for 9 months in French oak barrels. Bright straw yellow with a fresh bouquet and flavor of apple, pear, lemon, butter, and vanilla with hints of pineapple, chamomile, and toast. Very complex wine with an aftertaste of tangerine. It reminds me of a well-made premier cru Chablis.

2022 Te Mata “Chardonnay,” Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. (100% Chardonnay). Aged for a short time in oak barrels.) Bright yellow with a medium-full bouquet and flavor of peach, citrus, buttered toast, and tropical fruit. Hints of melon, macadamia nuts, and vanilla, with a touch of salinity. Smooth finish and a long aftertaste of grilled pineapple.

Other wines that pair with tempura are Albariño, Catarratto, and sparkling wines (brut), along with Junmai sake (chilled), and cold beer.

Bob Lipinski is the author of 10 books, including “101: Everything You Need To Know About Whiskey” and “Italian Wine & Cheese Made Simple” (available on Amazon.com). He consults and conducts training seminars on Wine, Spirits, and Food and is available for speaking engagements. He can be reached at www.boblipinski.com OR bkjm@hotmail.com.