Italian Wine for Japanese Food: 4-Bottle Set

Italian wine and Japanese food get along better than people expect. Soy, mirin and dashi are sweet, savoury and deeply umami, and the ripe fruit of the south or the herbal lift of the Veneto meets them halfway. This set is our washoku pairing guide turned into four bottles.

What is in the set (4 bottles)

• Doppio Passo Primitivo 2024 (red, 2 bottles): for yakitori with tare, buta no kakuni, nikujaga. Ripe dark fruit with a hint of sweetness that absorbs mirin and sugar rather than fighting them. More on the grape in the Primitivo guide.
• Bosco del Merlo Syrah Seduzione 2021 (red, 1 bottle): for teriyaki, sukiyaki and duck. A black-pepper edge that tightens up sweet-savoury glazes. See the Syrah guide.
• Bosco del Merlo Sauvignon Blanc Turanio (white, 1 bottle): for tempura, white fish and ohitashi. Green herbal aromatics and clean acidity that cut through frying oil. See the Sauvignon Blanc guide.

Worth ¥13,310 bought separately, yours for ¥11,000 including tax.

Serving: reds at 16 to 18°C (in summer, 15 minutes out of the cellar), white well chilled at 6 to 9°C.

Read more: Japanese food and wine | Yakitori and wine