From Vineyard to Glass – Through the Eyes of a Winemaker

Did you know that wine may contain surprisingly many potential allergens? Acetaldehyde and biogenic amines, which can potentially cause headaches, may be present in any wine regardless of type or production method. On the other hand, casein and egg whites …

I would like to introduce the content of a fascinating article published in the German wine magazine “der deutsche Weinbau.” Image or Sensation? The title of this article is “Image vs. Sensorik.” If we translate this somewhat freely, it becomes “Image or …

When discussing the taste of wine, haven’t you often heard the phrase “wine tastes different from vineyard to vineyard”? In fact, this statement merely describes something extremely obvious. What’s more, if you find yourself convinced by this narrative, y …

When storing wine, there’s probably one question that everyone has wondered about at least once: how should the bottle be positioned? Should wine bottles be stored horizontally, or should they not be stored vertically? A quick search reveals many explanat …

Before writing this article, there is something I must clarify first. The author does not belong to any faction that could be called “anti-natural wine,” nor do I have an extreme dislike for “natural wine.” I hope you will read this article with this unde …

Many wine enthusiasts find their cupboards filled with an extensive collection of wine glasses. Others may appreciate wine bars that serve wines in multiple glass types tailored to different wines. The marketplace offers an extraordinary variety of wine g …

Grape berries undergo sunburn phenomena similar to human skin. This phenomenon introduces burnt-like flavors into wine, particularly affecting the quality of white wines where delicate aromas are crucial. Sunburned berries must be sorted and removed durin …

On September 12th, the winery where I work harvested grapes for the first time in the 2019 season. While grape growth wasn’t as abnormally accelerated as in 2018, when the harvest came nearly a month earlier than usual, 2019 still marked the beginning of …

When introducing wines in Japan, it seems that reference to the type of soil in which the grapes were cultivated is frequently made as one of the elements expressing a wine’s character. While this tendency is not limited to Japan alone, it appears particu …

The tasting method of comparing wines from different harvest years made from the same grape variety harvested from the same vineyard is called “vertical tasting.” This vertical tasting serves two purposes. The first purpose is to compare wines from new an …

Recently, I wrote an article about how earlier budbreak in grapevines increases the risk of frost damage. But do you know what methods exist to protect against this frost damage? Traditional Method: Warming by Open Fires The most traditional countermeasur …

There is one disease that grape growers particularly fear during rainy years: downy mildew. Whether dealing with wine grapes or any other cultivated plants, the battle against diseases is unavoidable. Vineyards encounter various diseases, but the most pro …

There are vessels that have been traditionally used in winemaking for centuries. When we think about it carefully, there may be cases where we cannot clearly explain why we continue to use them. Why do we use qvevri? What makes Bocksbeutel superior to ord …

In a recently published article titled “Wine Off-Flavors | UTA / ATA,” I discussed how aged nuances detected in what should be young white wine may indicate the presence of UTA, one type of off-flavor. In that article, I introduced the addition of ascorbi …

Wine aging is a crucial element that deepens the wine’s flavor profile. While wines generally evolve through oxidative aging, an alternative method called “biological aging” is sometimes employed during the winemaking process. Biological aging is a matura …

Have you ever found a wine to taste “bitter”? How about sake—have you ever experienced bitterness when drinking it? When drinking alcoholic beverages, we occasionally encounter bitterness. Have you ever wondered why this happens? What would you think if t …

Attention is returning to wines that are fermented and aged in concrete vessels. Concrete is a building material very familiar to modern people. While concrete is strongly associated with building exteriors and walls, in winemaking it serves as a material …

You tasted a white wine at a winery or wine shop and liked it enough to purchase it. However, you felt it was still a little early for drinking, so you decided to let it rest a bit longer in your home cellar. Six months later, at the dinner table. You kne …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3zcrR39d8Q In recent years, the concept of “diversity” has become a frequent topic of discussion within the wine industry. However, this diversity does not merely refer to variations within traditional frameworks such as d …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9hVTlhyZDc Among wine enthusiasts, the belief that “good vineyards” produce quality wines is widely accepted. Wines from vineyards with classifications such as Grand Cru or Premier Cru are often perceived as “distinctly di …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SccwUyehI The term “natural wine” remains a perpetual source of heated debate among wine enthusiasts. This phrase has become so ubiquitous that it jumps out at us from Tokyo’s streets in combinations like “natural wine an …