Wine Knowledge

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 …

Yeast is indispensable in winemaking. It is only through the presence of yeast that grape juice can transform into wine. While yeast may be considered the protagonist of winemaking, its stage of activity is not limited to the period of alcoholic fermentat …

Sparkling wine, epitomized by Champagne, is an indispensable element at parties and other festive occasions. Have you ever wondered how this effervescent wine containing carbon dioxide gas is actually produced? While explanations of production methods are …

In the context of winemaking, you may have encountered terms such as “destemming” and “whole-cluster fermentation.” Both refer to how grape bunches are handled at the point of vatting. A grape cluster consists of many berries attached to a green, stem-lik …

Are you familiar with the term “petri notes”? This is a specialized term frequently used in wine tasting, particularly when evaluating aged Riesling wines. Experienced tasters can sometimes identify a wine’s grape variety as Riesling the moment they detec …

Whenever I occasionally post about “natural wine” on X (formerly Twitter), those posts tend to be shared relatively widely for my account size. This simply indicates how many people react to this particular keyword. In recent years, especially in Japan, t …

Are you familiar with the term “petri notes”? This is a specialized term frequently used in wine tasting, particularly when evaluating aged Riesling wines. Experienced tasters can sometimes identify a wine’s grape variety as Riesling the moment they detec …

Light-struck flavor, or “nikkoushuu” in Japanese. The name might evoke images of freshly laundered white sheets fluttering under a clear blue sky, or the pleasant scent of sunshine when wrapped in those sheets. Unfortunately, that is not what this term re …

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 …

Wine occasionally develops unpleasant odors, defects, or off-flavors—unwelcome, sometimes distinctly repulsive aromas. Among the various unpleasant odors found in wine, “reduction” stands out as one of the most representative. Without fear of misunderstan …

You open a bottle of wine you’ve been looking forward to and pour it into your glass. As you bring your nose close to enjoy the aromatic bouquet rising from the wine, something seems off. Many of you have probably had this experience. Wine that produces u …

Many people who study wine have encountered the term “VA” at some point. Initially, the meaning of this abbreviation may not be immediately clear. VA stands for Volatile Acid, which translates to “volatile acidity” in Japanese. More precisely, volatile ac …