Yakitori

Yakitori

Yakitori is grilled chicken on skewers, glazed in a sweet soy tare or seasoned simply with salt, so the wine wants to meet the char and the savoury glaze with juicy fruit and keep its tannin soft against the umami. A light, fresh red or a fuller rosé fits best. Avoid firm tannin and heavy oak.

Pairs Perfectly

A Spätburgunder, Germany. Germany's lean, high-acid Pinot Noir has the red fruit for the char and stays gentle enough to sit with the soy.

Pairs Well

A Tavel rosé, France. A fuller, darker rosé with the red-fruit weight to handle the grilled glaze.

A Verdelho, Western Australia, Australia. Citrus and gentle tropical fruit with fresh acid, a New World white that lifts the salt-grilled skewers, and it costs little.

Avoid

Big, tannic and oaked reds, which overwhelm the chicken and turn metallic against the soy.

Failing That

A Beaujolais, France.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Italy.

Want to be able to craft answers like this? The Vinealto Wine Coach takes you from the basics to advanced.