Little by little the availability of quality meats has improved in Finland and now as the latest development a good supermarket nearby has started to sell Japanese Wagyu A5. I have never tried it but having watched my fair share of Guga Foods on Youtube I know I must give it a try. Thus comes the question: What to drink with it? Obviously red wine comes to mind first but then I would not be surprised at all if someone comes and recommends Champagne.
So Berserkers, please share with me your best wine pairings for this most pricey meat!
I eat Wagyu A5 fairly regularly (most often Ohmi and Miyazaki gyu, less often Kobe & Matsusaka, occasionally Saga & Kagoshima). I usually have it with the best junmai daiginjo saké readily available (lately Dassai 23 since it’s now readily available in Metro Manila; but Dassai 39 is good enough in a pinch).
When dining with friends who insist on reds with A5 wagyu, in my experience, 1991 Chapoutier Côte Rôtie La Mordorée and 1990 La Mission Haut Brion have done well for “rich-on-rich” style pairing. For cut and contrast, good, aged Barolo and aged, elegant Rioja gran reserva I’ve enjoyed (think 1981 R. López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva).
I agree that these are the two basic approaches which would work fine. However, my preference would be to go with the “cut and contrast” style, looking for something elegant and with good acidity (aged Barolo or Burgundy, or maybe a Jura red, or elegant (Foillard/LaPierre) Beaujolais, etc.). While the “rich on rich” pairing would definitely work, it has the potential for the wines to overpower the Wagyu flavour and subtlety. I would save the rich wines for a “normal” ribeye (choice or prime) with a good char…
I would also be curious to maybe try a dry Lambrusco…I think that could work very well as a functional matter (complimenting the meat), but I certainly understand the desire to enjoy a more serious/profound wine with such a nice steak.
I find Japanese beef to have a very clean and subtly mineral flavor and is really all about the fine grained texture and rendered marbling. Thus, I would be cautious about pairing anything too tannic or powerful. I think Volnay would be a nice choice especially from Lafarge or d’Angerville. Jura reds based on Trousseau or Poulsard from Overnoy or Gahier could play up the subtlety of the beef as well.
Rose Champagne or an elegant and finessed red Burg is the perfect pairing for me. I like something that isn’t overpowering so I can better enjoy the flavors of the beef.
Wow, what a great range of responses, thanks a lot everyone! Will probably pick a couple of bottles from the more conservative end of the recs, thinking lighter Alpine Nebbiolo/Burgundy with some age and Rosé Champagne, probably saignée method. Will need to try another time with more adventurous choices like Riesling.