Texture and tannin are two important components that define the structure of a wine, and when pairing wine with Japanese cuisine, texture-driven wines are the key to success.
I have always sought to build structure via texture in my Bravium and Outlier wines, ensuring a silky, velvety mid-palate with well-integrated tannin, savory notes, and relatively low alcohol. Those characteristics are what makes them sing next to sushi and work beautifully across broader Japanese cuisine elements, including delicate proteins, umami, subtle acidity from soy and rice vinegar, grilled foods, and even Wagyu steak.
In contrast, a wine with structure built primarily on tannin, such as big Cabernet or an oaky Chardonnay, will clash with most Japanese preparations. The tannin binds with proteins in seafood, creating a metallic taste, and oak and a higher alcohol muscle out the subtlety of many dishes.
For Bravium and Outlier, every decision in the vineyard and cellar is about texture and balance. Where the fruit grows—and when it’s picked—ensures that I begin with fruit that has vibrant acidity and a just-ripe-enough character. Gentle techniques in the cellar complement that with a savory mid-palate adding a complexity much like umami that I find very pleasing and that pairs well with a range of Japanese foods.
Bravium Blanc de Noirs: Sparkling wines are naturally acid driven, but this wine is 100% Pinot Noir and goes through full malolactic conversion, giving it mid-palate weight and creaminess. It spends about two years en tirage, giving the straightforward fresh fruit character time to develop in a more savory direction. The effervescence and acidity lift fresh fish preparations rather than covering them, while the mid-palate density offers a bridge for cooked dishes.
Bravium Chardonnay: My Chardonnay vineyards are sited in cool, coastal areas, so the fruit has a natural freshness that is consistent from vintage to vintage. Once the fruit is in the winery, it undergoes an early oxygenation, which adds an aromatic complexity and ageability that complements the fruit’s cool-climate characteristics. To broaden the midpalate while maintaining the acidity, I ferment and age in oak and stir the lees through the entire malolactic conversion, resulting in a wine that hits the mark between linear and lush. The Bravium Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley Chardonnay, with their rounded, yet vivacious mouthfeel and restrained oak, don’t fight fish the way a heavier, more tannic or oaky Chardonnay would, making either a natural match for anything from nigiri to creamy preparations like miso black cod.
Bravium and Outlier Pinot Noirs: I don’t think a Pinot Noir can be great without high-quality, just-barely-ripe fruit, and the cooler sites where we grow our grapes don’t allow the fruit to get overly ripe or produce big, brawny wines. These wines have bright fruit aromatics and flavors, a savory element that often expresses a peppery note, as well as a tertiary note of complexity reminiscent of soy or miso. Outlier Pinot Noir sees no new oak and has extremely low tannin. It’s fresh and vivacious and works well with raw preparations. The Bravium Anderson Valley and Wiley Vineyard Pinot Noirs offer a more savory mid-palate, thanks to judicious whole cluster fermentation and aging in a small amount of new oak, which allows them to work well with cooked or grilled preparations such as yakitori, cod, and robata. Even Wagyu, because of its tenderness, will be better matched with Bravium Pinot Noir rather than a Cabernet.
I find that with the balance and texture of Bravium and Outlier wines, the question of what to drink, whether paired with a particular dish or an omakase meal, becomes less about which wine pairs best and more about what wine you’re in the mood to drink.
Derek Rohlffs, Founder & Winegrower
