Wine News (16)

Omotesando, TokyoHow is the Japanese youth coping with alcohol ? Are the youth trying early and are they moderate in their approach ? One day or another they discover the charms of alcoholic beverages through the alcoholic drinks sold in these jido-hanbaiki (vending machines) that you see at every corner in Japan (there is one such machine for every 23 people in Japan !). Some young Japanese as elsewhere may be involved in some excesses but I'm not sure that they drink much on the whole. This Japanese study interviewed 12/15-year-old young Japanese in 2003 and seems to say that many high schooll teenagers have been trying alcohol (58-76%). According to the study, drinking and smoking have been listed as reasons for putting some of these youth under the protective custody of the police (41,8 for smoking and 3,4% for drinking). I imagine the scared youth being brought to the nearest (and tiny) koban (neighborhood police kiosk) with their parents having to retrieve them... Japan is obviously far from the binge drinking culture of the UK, and young Japanese are more likely to buy a soft drink from one of these flashy vending machines that we Europeans envy them so much (they'd be looted overnight in France). The study adds a very interesting paragraph to explain why the Japanese teenagers don't cross too much the line :
"Importantly, these risk factors for adolescent smoking and drinking have been studied in countries of Western culture, but not in Japan. Japanese people have some unique characteristics, such as interdependent orientation and collective cultural thinking, which stresses conformity and intense competition for sameness within intragroup relations. These characteristics may influence the prevalence and etiology of adolescent smoking and drinking."For Tokyo lovers only :A 10-minute soundtrack from the Yamanote subway line...

Mr Toshio Iwata, of Wine Crazy Ltd. in KyotoWith his parents owning a sake shop, Mr Toshio Iwata was on the right track. His parents opened their sake business in 1933 and they sold also there Miso soup, salt and soya sauce as it used to be at the time. Mr Toshio Iwata initiated the difficult transition to wine and in 1989, he took the reins of the business. He decided to bring a whole traditionnal house from Ishikawa to here. The thick beams are designed to resist the weight of the winter snow. It is made without metal screws or nails, ony traditionnal wooden pegs. an architectural marvel by itself. There's a definite smell coming from these wooden beams , maybe from the protective finish on the wood.
There's everything in the Wine Crazy wine shop, a great range of wines in a great setting. Mr Iwata also organizes wine tastings every week for a fee per glass and he opens great bottles on these occasions.
The first bottles I spot on the side are from the US [1000 Yen make 6,5 Euro or 10 USD]: Harlan Estate 2003 (114 000 Yen), Meeker Merlot 2002, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 1982 (115 500 Yen), Maya 2000 (85 785 Yen), Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 (60 900 Y), Opus One 2004 ( 39 800 Y), Staglin Estate C.S. 2003 (22 600 Y) and others like Nalle, Ravens wood, Pahlmeyer and Au Bon Climat. I drift to the bottles in the middle of the shop, most of his wines come from France (both artisan/natural wines and prestigious traditionnal estates): Nacarat (Cailloux du Paradis)- 2835 Y, Domaine de l'Anglore, Nulle Part Ailleurs 2700 Y, Trevallon 1999 - 4380 Y, Domaine Gauby 2002 "Coume Gineste" - 9770 Y, Pacalet (several others from him) Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2003- 15000 Y, Corton Vergennes Grand Cru 2004 Domaine de la Combe 11300 Y, Prieuré Roch Clos de Bèze 2004 - 31 500 Y, Clos de tart 1983 Mommessin (damaged label) - 34 000 Y, Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 2002 - 21 000 Y, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Vieilles-Vignes 1986 - 80 000 Y, Bonnes Mares Leon Bocquet 1973 - 47 250 Y...
Of course the best Bordeaux are there too : Pauillac Pichon Comtesse 1940 (148 000 Y), Ausone Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1982 (90 000 Y), Chateau Margaux 1982 (210 000 Y), Chateau Latour Pauillac 1949 (410 000 Y), Cheval Blanc St-Emilion 1984 (31 500 Y), and many others from more recent millesimes. Also what seems to be a very good selection of Italian wines, including one I know : Angiolino Maule Sassaia 2005 at 2730 Yen.Wine Crazy Ltd.Nishigawa Agaru NishiojiSanjo Nakagyo-KuKyotoPhone : +81 (0)75 821 1208email : winecrazy@kyoto.zaq.ne.jp<:center>Sake Tasting Set (Daishichi Brewery-Nihonmatsu)The cup in the background is the traditionnal cup used for tasting sake. the blue snake-looking pattern in the bottom of the cup helps check the color and turbidity. You can read on this page that "If the contrasting lines between the blue and white of the cup are clear, the clarity of the sake is good. Ordinary sake have a light yellow tint or a light amber hue. Sake tends to get darker as getting older." The sake-tasting set on the front has been designed by Japanese Sommelier Shinya Tasaki and the glasses have a very different shape depending if you taste Junmai, Junmai Ginjo or Kijoshu. The snake pattern on the china tray helps check the color.Plastic-Food Pairing...Japan is not only the gastronomy capital of the World, it is a city where you can not even know a word of the local idiom and still choose what you want to eat. Just point to the fake-food models displayed in the restaurant window. Fake-food displays are strangely an authentic Japanese thing, the reason being maybe that the Japanese "first taste their dishes with their eyes". Most of this plastic food or wax food comes from the Kappabashi neighborhood near Asakusa, Tokyo. When and where did all this fake-food craze begin ? Showa year 1 (1926) in...Osaka, of course (read this wax-food history). There is an important focus on the visual aspect of the dish in Japan, and it translates not only with the meticulousness with which these fakes are realized (see it as hyper-realist Art), but also in the habit of the Japanese to take pictures of their food before beginning to eat.
Now, with the wax food being displayed side by side with plastic drinks, that is a good way to begin choosing what to drink with the chosen dish. I see sake and beer but where's the wine ? I am sure that the people at Iwasaki-Bei (the company that started the concept and which is still leader of this niche market today) would have no problem replicating the delicate nuances of a light Pinot Noir, a golden Sauternes or a black-ink Grenache... The Owner and Cook of HinomarukenOur friend Terumi knew a particularly strange restaurant in Tokyo named Hinomaruken and decided to bring us there for dinner. The place is located near Shimokitazawa, a narrow-street, low-building neighborhood which is home to many students and is only a couple of stations away from Shibuya. I love the provincial feel on these quiet lanes with its small shops and eateries.
We reach the restaurant after a few minutes walk. There's no sign at the door, as if the owner didn't want the crowds here. If you reach the place, just notice that the door is just on the left of another venue named "Basa" (just look for Basa and you'll find this esoteric restaurant upstairs).You climb a narrow staircase to the 2nd floor. The restaurant is full of paintings or strange objects hanging on the walls. The music selection is also one of the gems here, one of the things that we heard was a 1940-1950 female Japanese singer and I wish I had thought to ask him to see the CD info. Another thing is that he has several Art works by Tadanori Yokoo, a famous Pop Art artist from the 1970s'. The owner, who cooks himself, has a strange butoh-like demeanor and he may come at your table (if he feels confident) holding a plush character which is very dear to him. He's a lovely person and his cuisine is a surprising blend of flavors and textures, there's something magic in there, and with the good mood of Terumi and her friend Keiko plus the warmful Chile wine we had, our dinner was really special. Back in France, I found out that fellow-blogger Claire who is a French/American girl living in Tokyo, listed this restaurant as "probably the best place to dine in tokyo". Scroll down to the bottom fifth of her blog, you will find her own post on Hinomaruken. The people at the Tokyo Michelin guide would better drop there one evening... Hinomaruken1-4-18 HanegiSetagaya-ku TokyoPhone : 3325-6190Shindaita stationOn-target Map for the restaurantReal Wine Guide FrontpagesA post about Japan and wine wouldn't be complete without mentioning its insightful, glossy wine-magazines the main ones being WinArt and Real Wine Guide. Real Wine Guide reviews wines from around the world but still, most of the wines you will find in there are French. The interesting thing is, they write as much about the prestigious traditional estates from Burgundy and Bordeaux as on the the artisan- and natural wines, maybe "real wine" in its name means what it means... Its style has the usual seriousness of specialized Japanese publications with pages full of wine labels with comments and prices, and also a more relaxed side with easy-going reports and interviews. It always has these manga-like frontpages featuring a woman and a bottle. Each of them would make a beautiful poster. I'm still wondering if it is because they intend to appeal to the masculine readers or because Japanese women are really deep into wine. Both can work but when you look inside (I don't read Japanese either) you sort of feel that there is a feminine touch all over, and I don't allude only to the picture on the left. We have a couple of issues at home and one of them features an interview of Japanese expat vintner Junko Arai whom I visited in the Loire (went also there for the harvest), along with Thierry Puzelat who is also making "real wines" in the loire [picture on right]. Thereare4 issues a year, one per season.
The other magazine, Winart is also a serious help fot the Japanese wine lovers, with lenghtly articles and beautiful photo work. It is more conventional and mainstream in its approach.
There is also a monthly publication (but I don't remember having leafed through one issue) named Vinotheque.Fujikonishi Wine Shop, TokyoI was tipped about this excellent Wine Shop and Wine bar a couple years ago by Hikalu, a Japanese fellow-blogger and reader of this blog who likes good wines including natural wines. The place is named Fujikonishi, it is a liquor shop which is in the business since 1922 and is located in Nakano, Tokyo. On the card you can read the words in Japanese (or like me, you can't read...) : "Shizen Ha" which means "natural movement": this wine shop shares the same values as the natural-wines vintners and you will find many of their wines here. The "stando" wine bar is in the back of the shop, up a few stairs [picture on left]. The wine-bar section opens at 7pm otherwise the shop is open all day (and 7 days a week as always in Japan). Let's look at a few bottles (1000 Yen makes 6,5 Euro or 10 USD) :
Cotes d'Auvergne Tricot Chardonnay 2006, 2 cuvées, 2100 Y and 300 Y. Saint Peray (white Rhone) les Champs Libres 2006 - 3150 Y. Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay 2005 - 3450 Y, Ploussard 2006 - 3900 Y.Simeoni, "Vin de Crise" (Vin de Pays, Herault) - 1730 Y. Clos Marie Pic Saint Loup (Languedoc) 2006 - 3150 Y. Domaine de la Charbonnière Vacqueyras 2005 - 2000 Y. Vosne Romanée Domaine Jean Grivet 2000 - 11 250 Y. Goisot Cotes d'Auxerre, Corps de Garde 2005 - 3060 Y. Karim Vionnet Beaujolais-Villages 2006 - 2480 Y. Didier Montehovet Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches 2004 - 5400 Y. Domaine des Bois Lucas (Junko Arai) "Otosan" (Touraine Gamay) 3300 Y. Marcel Deiss, Pinot Noir St Hyppolyte 2004 - 4500 Y. Chateau Vieux Maillet Pomerol 2000 - 5840 Y. Just a few example of what you find here. Very large choice of Champagne wines too (Gosset, Henriot, among others), plus several sparkling wines made by artisan vintners like Christian Binner (Alsace). There are also top international beers among which I spot the utmost delightful Chimay from Belgium at 460 Y a bottle.
We missed the owner who was not there when we dropped there (and the bar wasn't open yet) but B. had the opportunity to speak lenghly with him and taste some wines during her previous trips in Japan, and she learned many things about how wine has come more and more mainstream and also how well the no-additives wines were received here in the last few years.Yutaka Makino SingsWe know Yutaka through our friend Terumi. He joined along for dinner at her place. To justify this entry on wineterroirs I'll say (I'm not making this up) that he worked several months in the Shinanoya wine-shop chain... He came to France once with Terumi and both of them travelled on a self-drive rental barge on the canals of Burgundy. He is also writing songs and sings them, some of them can be listened to on his myspace page (click on ucoca), but I recorded one of his songs with my MicroTrack. He composed this song after cycling on a path from which he could see the Mount Fuji, he had something like a flash and saw Fuji san turn red and explode. Back with his friends-musicians they found the melody and he composed the song as it came... Listen :

Comments

[hikalu]

Thank you for the telling about the restaurant in Shimokitazawa. I will go there when I have time.

[J.Č.]

Thank you, thank you! Returned from Japan couple of weeks ago, spent lot of time on Yamanote line and this soundtrack almost put tears into my eyes :o))

Thank you for the info.about Shimokitazawa restaurant. Even though I was born and bread in that area, I didn't know that!