The best wine for eggplant (nasu) is one that echoes its silky, oil-soaked texture and gentle savoriness: a soft, low-tannin red, or a crisp, well-chilled white. The ideal bottle changes with how you cook it. I import Italian wine and pour it with eggplant dishes all over Tokyo, and the key, I find, is to read the cooking method and the sauce.
Autumn eggplant is firm and sweet, at its best this time of year. It is worth choosing a bottle that fits the exact plate in front of you.
A common misconception: eggplant is not "a vegetable, so white"
Eggplant looks like a light vegetable, but it loves oil and turns surprisingly rich when grilled or fried. So deciding "vegetable equals white wine" can miss the mark. Eggplant with tomato or meat sauce actually calls for a light red. What matters is less the eggplant itself than the seasoning and the amount of oil.
Breaking down the flavor of eggplant
| Element | Wine tip |
|---|---|
| Texture | Melts once it soaks up oil. Heavily tannic reds feel too heavy, so choose gentle tannins |
| Savoriness | Loves dashi and miso. A savory red or white sits well alongside |
| Sweetness | Autumn eggplant is faintly sweet. A fruity red blends in |
| Sauce | Tomato-based: red; miso or dengaku: fruity red; salt or fried: chilled white |
Pairing by cooking method and sauce
| Eggplant dish | Recommended style |
|---|---|
| Tomato-braised or pasta (caponata, etc.) | An Italian red with acidity (Sangiovese, Nero d'Avola) |
| Grilled nasu, miso dengaku, mapo eggplant | A fruity, mellow red (Primitivo) |
| Deep-fried marinated, tempura, plain fried | A well-chilled dry white or sparkling (Inzolia, Prosecco) |
Eggplant is a star vegetable on the Italian table, especially in Sicily. Nero d'Avola, Sicily's signature red grape, has ripe fruit and balanced acidity that wrap beautifully around eggplant dishes made with tomato and oil. Its tannins (the compound that makes your mouth pucker) are not too strong, so they never fight the melting texture of the eggplant.
Enjoying it in Japan, and the story of Sicily's "Norma"
In Catania, in eastern Sicily, there is a famous dish called pasta alla Norma: fried eggplant, tomato, and salty ricotta salata (an aged sheep's-milk cheese). The name has a lovely origin. It is said to honor the masterpiece opera Norma by the Catania-born composer Bellini. The story goes that the local playwright Nino Martoglio, on tasting the dish, exclaimed that it was "a real Norma," meaning a true masterpiece. Almost unknown in Japan, in Sicily there is a whole culture of naming "the finest thing" after an eggplant dish.
The same idea works with Japanese eggplant. For sweet-savory, rich dishes like mapo eggplant, reach for a fruity red such as Doppio Passo Primitivo, lightly chilled. For delicate plates seasoned with dashi and salt, like grilled or marinated fried eggplant, a crisp, chilled white such as Inzolia is a fine match. Even without a wine cellar, putting a red in the fridge for about 20 minutes before serving keeps it light and easy in the lingering late-summer heat.
Federico's picks
With dishes built on eggplant and tomato, what I often pour is Sicily's Baglio di Serramarrocco (Nero d'Avola). Grown on the hills of Erice, it is a red with a lovely balance of fruit and soft acidity, and it sits happily with caponata, tomato-braised eggplant, and lasagna. For something lighter and more everyday, try Puglia's Doppio Passo Primitivo. When you take grilled or fried eggplant simply with salt, the white Inzolia shines, and for lighter tomato-based plates Morellino di Scansano is a lovely choice too.
How to choose and serving temperature
When in doubt, decide by "the color of the sauce." A red sauce (tomato, meat) wants a lighter red; a brown sweet-savory sauce (miso, mapo) a fruity red, lightly chilled; a white sauce or salt-and-fried, a chilled white. Aim for 16 to 18 degrees for reds, 8 to 10 for whites. From summer into early autumn, chilling the red a touch adds lightness against the eggplant's silkiness.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Red or white with eggplant, which is correct?
A. It depends on the cooking method. Richly flavored dishes with tomato or miso call for red; when you take it simply with salt or fried, a chilled white fits.
Q. Does wine work with a spicy dish like mapo eggplant?
A. Yes. For the heat, use a mellow, fruity red, lightly chilled. Avoid heavily tannic reds, which emphasize the spiciness.
Q. What is a common mistake?
A. Choosing a heavy, tannic red "because it is a vegetable." Melting eggplant is better served by a red with gentle tannins.
Q. Is pairing different for autumn eggplant?
A. Autumn eggplant is sweeter, so a fruity red blends in even better. The basic approach stays the same.
Pick a bottle to match the eggplant dish of the day, and enjoy. You will surely find something new.
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