With their high acidity and sugar levels, Rieslings are the perfect wines to pair with Japanese cuisine. Mami Whelehan, a manager at public-relations firm Pieroth Japan, who regularly lectures in Japan on wine-food matching, spoke to The Japan Times about how to combine Rieslings with Japanese food.

"With Rieslings, you need to look at acidity and the residual sugar. In Japanese home-cooking, mirin (sweet cooking wine made from rice) and sugar are used in most dishes, so it's easier to match," she said.

Mirin works well with the sweetness in a Riesling, while citrus flavors — such as those from the fruits yuzu, sudachi and kabosu — complement the natural acidity in the wine.