Many people probably find themselves wondering every day what to pair with wine.
Elaborate snacks can be appealing, but they can also feel like a little too much work.
Simple snack foods are convenient too, but you may still want to keep health in mind.
Now there is a wine snack that may be just right for people looking for both ease and balance.
It is “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic).”
This is a new addition to the “Choi-Tsuma Natto” line of natto snacks sold by Yamada Foods Co., Ltd. in Akita Prefecture—and it is said to be a natto snack that pairs with wine.
We tried it ourselves to see whether it really works with wine.
About “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)”
“Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)” is the newest product in Yamada Foods Co., Ltd.’s “Choi-Tsuma Natto” snack series.
“Choi-Tsuma Natto” is a non-fried, freeze-dried natto snack that retains the nutrients found in traditional stringy natto, making it an innovative snack designed to offer both healthfulness and flavor.
The series already comes in several flavors, and now a Herb & Garlic version has arrived that is designed to pair with both beer and wine.
Yamada Foods says the product draws on experience gained from developing the many separate sauces supplied with its traditional natto. The result combines an appetite-stimulating garlic impact with refreshing herbs for a distinctive flavor.
When you actually taste it, the freshness of the herbs and the punch of garlic come first, followed by a clear natto character in the finish, creating a flavor unlike typical snack foods.
Four types of herbs are used, giving the flavor more complexity than a simple single-herb seasoning.
It is enjoyable on its own, but the seasoning immediately makes you want to pair it with a drink.
Another welcome point: each bag contains 4.5 billion live natto bacteria, and the snack comes in individually wrapped, single-serving portions.
An Excellent Match with Lightly Sparkling White Wine!
Because “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)” is promoted as a snack that “also goes well with wine and beer,” we paired it with wine to find out.
With herbs and garlic in the seasoning, we chose a white wine.
Taking the snack’s texture into account, we also selected a lightly sparkling style.
The herb and garlic flavors paired very well with the wine’s citrus, subtle herbal notes, and fruit character.
The snack’s crisp texture also worked naturally with the gentle effervescence, creating a satisfying textural match.
The natto flavor that emerges in the finish did not clash with the wine’s fruitiness, while the wine’s acidity left the palate feeling refreshed.
For wine lovers, it is the sort of snack that makes it easy to repeat the cycle of “bite, sip, bite, sip” almost endlessly.
And because “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)” is positioned as a nutritious, health-conscious snack, it can be enjoyed with relatively little guilt.
For the Plum Flavor, Try Pinot Noir!
As a bonus pairing, we also tried wine with “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Plum Flavor).”
Plum-flavored natto is already a familiar combination, and the snack itself is reliably tasty.
It is not overly sour, delivering refreshing plum acidity together with the flavor of natto.
For “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Plum Flavor),” we chose Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir from cool-climate regions can sometimes show a subtle character reminiscent of Japanese plum.
Pinot Noir is also known for elegant acidity and savory umami.
With those qualities in mind, it seemed like a natural candidate for “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Plum Flavor),” so we put the pairing to the test.
As expected, the plum flavor aligned nicely with the red-fruit and plum-like nuances of the Pinot Noir.
The acidity harmonized as well, and the additional umami made for a surprisingly luxurious pairing.
Natto and red wine are often described as a notoriously difficult match, but “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Plum Flavor)” handled the pairing with ease.
It Is Delicious with a Few Creative Twists, Too!
“Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)” is a healthy and flavorful snack that pairs well with wine.
If you work out regularly, care about beauty and wellness, or simply struggle to find satisfying snacks for wine, the “Choi-Tsuma Natto” series is worth considering.
You could also have fun adding cheese or honey to “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic),” or using it as a topping for salad.
Maybe your wine snack from today onward will be “Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic).”
Give it a try and use these pairings as inspiration.
Reference
■ Product Information
Product name: Choi-Tsuma Natto (Herb & Garlic)
Release date: September 1, 2026 (Tue.)
Suggested retail price: Open price
Net weight: 18 g (including individual packaging)
Related Links
● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yamadafoods
● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohayo.natto/
● Yamada Foods official website: https://www.yamadafoods.co.jp/