Take the Japanese noodle soup to new heights with these pairings.
Noodle soups are in a league of their own. Chewy noodles, salty broth, infinite variations of protein, vegetables, herbs and toppings – it all makes the perfect dish. And while we adore pho, laksa, Lanzhou beef noodles and all the rest, Japan’s ramen might just be king. And that goes double when there’s a glass of wine flanking our big, steaming bowl.
We know it may not be the first drink you think of to go with ramen, but wine and soup can make a brilliant match. So, if you’re ready to upgrade your favourite ramen with a killer wine on the side, here’s everything you need to know about the best styles to choose.
At its heart, ramen is a soup (usually a bone broth) filled with alkaline noodles, flavoured with tare (a sauce or seasoned oil) and topped with anything from chashu pork and boiled eggs to sheets of nori. This means that before you grab yourself a glass of wine, it’s a good idea to consider the type of ramen you’re eating to get a feel for the flavour profile. Noodles don’t really make much of a difference (they’re just a lovely bit of starch) but pay attention to the other options.
Soup: Ramen broth usually comes in two main kinds – clear (chintan) or cloudy (paitan) – but that’s not super important here. Instead, think about what the soup is made from. Is it pork (tonkotsu), chicken (tori paitan) or something else entirely?
Tare: The intense flavour of tare is what makes ramen so delicious, and it’ll usually come in one of three kinds: shio (which is flavoured with salt, as well as other umami-rich ingredients), shoyu (soy sauce) and miso (a salty, umami fermented soybean paste).
Toppings: Anything goes here, but toppings like pork or buttered corn (a regional favourite from Hokkaido) are going to be rich with strong flavours, while wood ear mushrooms or spinach will be a lot more subtle.
Slurping down a clear chicken broth flavoured with shio (salt) or shoyu (soy) and topped with sliced pork? This is definitely on the lighter end of the ramen spectrum, so something light-bodied and crisp will work very well – like a pinot gris or prosecco, perhaps.
The richer, meatier styles of ramen like tonkatsu (a cloudy pork bone broth) are unctuous, mouth-coating and strongly flavoured, which means they’ll either need a big wine to match or something to cut through the richness. Chardonnay is great for this sort of assignment – especially if it’s bright and a little on the fuller side. A juicy red like pinot noir would work here, too.
If you’re going for anything spicy (or going heavy on those spicy pickled mustard greens), a little fruity sweetness is your friend. We’re not talking lolly-sweet here, but a gewurztraminer or off-dry riesling will have just enough sugar to balance the heat and salt in your fiery-style ramen.
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Chardonnay
It’s hard to go wrong with chardonnay – our favourite all-rounder food-pairing wine. There are lean and zippy styles, and richer, full-bodied examples that won’t get outmuscled by tonkotsu ramen, so you’ll almost always find a ramen-worthy chardy.
Try: The Cape Mentelle Marri is everything we love in a Margaret River chardonnay. It’s ripe with stone fruit flavours, silky on the palate and crisp at the end. It’ll stand up to just about any ramen style you can get your chopsticks around, but we love it with shoyu ramen with all the toppings.
Gewurztraminer
This is a bit of a left-field pick for some, but gewurztraminer is delicious, uniquely flavoured and suits anything spicy or salty. It’s a go-to for Southeast Asian dishes and Indian curries, but when the ramen has a little boost of heat, it’ll work perfectly.
Try: Pour yourself a glass of Dopff Au Moulin Gewurztraminer next time you dial up the spice on ramen night and thank us later. The lychee and Turkish delight flavours cut through the fatty richness of ramen, while the slight sweetness of the wine balances the fire and salt.
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Pinot noir
The biggest red wines – like shiraz and cabernet sauvignon – definitely risk overpowering a soup that isn’t, say, slow-cooked lamb or braised beef. Pinot noir, though, goes so well with lighter meats that it makes perfect sense with heavier styles of ramen – especially when they’re topped with slices of tender roast pork.
Try: Next time you’re staring down a bowl of unctuous tonkotsu or tori paitan ramen, reach for a bottle of Oakridge Over The Shoulder Pinot Noir. It’s a light-bodied style that won’t dominate the meal, but its subtle tannins, juicy cherry flavours and bright acidity will take that pork or chicken soup base to a whole new level.
Prosecco
Sure, it’s often pulled out as a drink on arrival, but don’t sleep on prosecco when it comes to ramen. Prosecco is crisp, fizzy and rounded out with a tinge of fruity sweetness that balances the salty, umami ramen broth.
Try: Rich, salty miso ramen is one of the best styles, if you ask us, and things only get better with a glass or two of prosecco on the side. Try an Italian example like Porta Dante, which brings crisp apple, sweet peach flavours and enough vibrant freshness to offset all those indulgent toppings.
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Pinot gris
The French-inspired version of pinot grigio, gris tends to be a little more complex and rounded than its counterpart, though it’s still got plenty of palate-cleansing brightness. For the lighter styles like shio or shoyu ramen, pinot gris is your friend.
Try: Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris is everything we love in a ramen-friendly wine – it’s fresh, lively and finishes with just enough juicy fruit flavour to offset a salt- or soy sauce-infused ramen broth. When the ramen is clear and light, this is your guy.
