During hot summer months, specifying refrigerated delivery for wine shipments has become almost standard practice. For wines delivered to homes, storing them in dedicated wine cellars whenever possible is widely recommended. The reason these temperature-r …
Cork is the quintessential material for sealing wine bottles. Today, cases of using alternative closures such as screwcaps to seal wine bottles are increasing. Winemakers have come to freely choose from multiple options based on their own philosophy. Agai …
When drinking wine, there is an expression you will inevitably encounter somewhere along the way: “mineral character” or “minerality.” Even those who haven’t heard these terms yet will almost certainly encounter them in the relatively near future, as they …
I once encountered an observation that “rosé wines are difficult to imagine even when you know their origin and grape variety.” While this is a fascinating perspective, as someone actually involved in winemaking, I find myself thinking, “Yes, that might i …
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 …
Recently, I had the opportunity to taste wines at a winery located in Enzan, Yamanashi Prefecture. During the tasting of several wines from their lineup, one particular characteristic struck me strongly: the taste of iron. When I asked the winemaker about …
Minerals and tannins. Can anyone truly claim they have never used these terms? That’s how established minerals and tannins have become as tasting expressions in wine. However, few people can properly explain the specific meanings these expressions refer t …
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 …
