The pairing logic, in depth
Sushi is one of the harder things to pair because the flavors are quiet and the accompaniments are loud. The fish itself is clean and delicate; the volume comes from the vinegared rice, the salty hit of soy, the sinus-clearing wasabi, and the palate-cleansing ginger. A wine that tries to add richness or oak just muddies the picture. What sushi wants is a wine that refreshes - high acidity to echo the rice vinegar, low alcohol so it doesn't amplify the wasabi heat, and absolutely no tannin.
Tannin is the non-negotiable rule. The tannins in red wine react with the oils in raw fish to create a metallic, unpleasantly fishy taste - the same reaction that ruins salmon with Cabernet, amplified by the rawness. This is why almost no red works with sushi, and why the rare exceptions are ultra-light, chilled, low-tannin reds that behave more like rosé than red.
Sparkling wine is the universal answer, and it's worth understanding why. Sushi is eaten as a sequence of small, distinct bites, each one a clean reset. Sparkling wine matches that rhythm perfectly: the bubbles and bracing acidity scrub the palate after every piece, so the third bite tastes as vivid as the first. Champagne is the luxury version, but a dry Cava or a good Crémant delivers the same mechanism for a fraction of the price. Among still wines, the saline, citrusy whites of the Atlantic coast - Albariño, Muscadet, a steely Sauvignon Blanc - are the closest equivalents.
Soy and spice are where you reach for a little sweetness. Bone-dry wine can taste harsh against salty soy and read as sour against the sweet glaze on eel or the heat of a spicy-mayo roll. An off-dry Riesling solves both at once: its touch of residual sugar buffers the soy and cools the chili, while its searing acidity keeps everything from feeling heavy. Serve everything genuinely cold - 45-50°F - because the colder the wine, the crisper and more refreshing it reads against the cool fish.