To settle the score, we staged a liquid showdown, asking a wine sommelier to pair a drink with French food, a sake sommelier to match his with Japanese and a beer sommelier to go American. Then, we had each specialist pair his beverage with the others’ native eats—a greater challenge. In the end, four expert judges assessed their pairings. These clashing personalities spent an afternoon at the TONY office, supping and sipping, rating and debating, before finally deciding which sommelier stood at the top of his glass—and which drink stands above them all.

Wine sommelier
Roger Dagorn of Chanterelle (2 Harrison St between Greenwich and Hudson Sts, 212-966-6960)

Sake sommelier
Takahiro Okada of EN Japanese Brasserie (435 Hudson St at Leroy St, 212-647-9196)

Beer sommelier
Aviram Turgeman of Café d’Alsace (1695 Second Ave at 88th St, 212-722-5133)

THE JUDGES

From left to right:

John LaFemina
Chef at Ápizz, Peasant and the Orchard; author of A Man and His Meatballs: The Hilarious but True Story of a Self-Taught Chef and Restaurateur

Garrett Oliver
Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and author of The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food

Marnie Old
Wine consultant and French Culinary Institute instructor; coauthor of He Said Beer, She Said Wine, with Sam Calagione

Adam Roberts
Blogger at The Amateur Gourmet (amateurgourmet.com) and author of the forthcoming The Amateur Gourmet

Pan-crisped skate

FRENCH DISH

Pan-crisped skate, marinated beets, seared greens and horseradish crème fraîche (Metro Marché, 625 Eighth Ave at 41st St, 212-239-1010)

Wine: Riesling Trimbach 2004*
Sake: Dassai Junmai Ginjo 50
Beer: Saison Dupont
*Dagorn’s first choice, Riesling Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile 2003, was unavailable.

John: “The beer has a great body—but overpowers the skate. Deep-fry this fish, add some tartar sauce and then give me the beer. Likewise, the sake’s kick is too much. The wine, however, really perks up the crème fraîche, like a spritz of lemon.”

Wine: 8
Sake: 4
Beer: 2

Garrett: “I love this tremendous beer, which makes me sad that the pairing never gels. On the other hand, the wine could use more zing. It’s the sake that can roll into this rich and buttery preparation, creating one seamless taste.”

Wine: 7
Sake: 8
Beer: 6

Marnie: “The wine’s slightly corked, but the pairing works fairly nicely. While I agree with Garrett that the beer is great, the skate diminishes it. The sake picks up the skate’s flavors—terrific together.”

Wine: 7
Sake: 9
Beer: 7

Adam: “Yes, the beer is simply fantastic—with a deliciously bitter undercurrent. But it overpowers the skate. And despite the wine’s balanced earthiness, the skate’s nuances are wiped away. Who would’ve thought the sake would’ve worked? It takes the logic of sushi and sake and puts it in a French idiom. Well done!”

Wine: 4
Sake: 8
Beer: 4

Spicy Bamboo tuna roll with avocado

JAPANESE DISH

Spicy Bamboo tuna roll with avocado, wasabi and flying-fish roe (Bamboo 52, 344 W 52nd St between Eighth and Ninth Aves, 212-315-2777)

Wine: Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Sake: Chiyomusubi “Goriki”
Beer: Grimbergen Blond

John: “Now that’s good sake—too bad it can’t stand up to the fiery sushi. And though the dry, peppery champagne would make an excellent Bellini, those same qualities amplify the fiery flavors. It’s the beer that’s a nice, refreshing contrast to the tuna.”

Wine: 4
Sake: 4
Beer: 10

Garrett: “That sake’s amazing, but the champagne doesn’t even engage the sushi; they bounce off each other and stay separate. The beer is my least favorite, but its sweetness calms the heat and the aromatics meld with the seaweed. I’d never drink a pint, but I’ll drink it with the sushi.”

Wine: 5
Sake: 4
Beer: 7

Marnie: “Oh, this champagne is toasty and tasty—and the sushi’s powerful seasonings overwhelm its rich flavor. The sake, too, is rich and deep, but it loses this thumb-wrestling match. You need a subtle sashimi like eel or toro, so the flavors don’t battle. Now, I prefer the sake and champagne by themselves, but the beer wins: Its herbal intensity and sugars balance the spiciness.”

Wine: 7
Sake: 6
Beer: 9

Adam: “Like Marnie, I love the champagne, yet its delicate bubbles and subtle flavor don’t compete well with the sushi. The sake is my favorite drink, but the sushi’s spiciness overpowers the drink’s rich flavor. For once, sushi and sake don’t go well together. The beer works: Its sweetness can compete with the sushi’s heat.”

Wine: 4
Sake: 6
Beer: 7

Medium-cooked hamburger

AMERICAN DISH

Medium-cooked hamburger topped with hickory-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion (Burgers & Cupcakes, 265 W 23rd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves, 212-242-0600)

Wine: Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallele 45 Rouge 2005*
Sake: Asabiraki Yukiwatari
Beer: Pinkus Ur Pilsner
*The 2001 vintage was unavailable.

John: “Sitting on the beach on a 90-degree day, this beer would be a thirst quencher; with the burger, it’s wimpy. Similarly, the sake has a mild, cucumber essence that’s totally lost, and the dry and light wine is eclipsed by the strong cheddar. To me, burgers equal big, bold reds.”

Wine: 4
Sake: 2
Beer: 4

Garrett: “The thick, milky sake reminds me of sunblock and piña colada—I’m on the beach. It’s a counterpoint to the burger, and not much else. As for the beer, this could’ve been fireworks, but it’s a squib. I could eat the burger and drink half a bottle of the wine in 15 minutes. It works.”

Wine: 9
Sake: 5
Beer: 7

Marnie: “The sake is hospital-meets-yogurt, in a medicinal way. It’s less offensive with the burger, though not pushed into the stratosphere. Same with the beer: This is a great pilsner and a great burger, but together they’re not elevated. The burger’s rich, fatty dimensions demand a fiercer flavor. The wine does this: Its smoky, gas-fired-BBQ flavors are balanced out.”

Wine: 9
Sake: 5
Beer: 5

Adam: “I agree with Marnie and Garrett about the sake—the milk-shakey texture is a real turnoff. While the Pinkus worked well with the greasy burger, all beer tastes good with burgers. And this beer had a bitter aftertaste. What amazed me was the wine pairing. Alone, the wine and burger weren’t amazing; together, they travel to a new, delicious place I love.”

Wine: 10
Sake: 2
Beer: 7