Drinking in Japan has changed a lot in the past two decades. While shochu (a clear spirit distilled
usually from sweet potatoes but also from wheat, rice, barley and even
chestnut) has successfully challenged the popularity of beer and sake, wine is
the latest darling.
Wine, of course, is not new to Japan.
It was introduced to the country by the Jesuits in the 16th
century. But only in recent years have traditional Japanese restaurants put wine on their drink lists. Now you see words like “grape wine” on
street banners of ordinary restaurants, such as the one I ran into in Hiroo, and you know that wine is for salary-men just as much as for the elites.
Wine gurus have always influenced wine trends and sales. In the U.S., there is Robert Parker; in
England Jancis Robinson. In Japan, the
most influential wine people are the brother and sister Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, real
life wine and food enthusiasts with a sizable wine cellar. They authored under the pseudonym of Tadashi
Agi the tremendously popular manga series “Kami no Shizuku” (“The Drops of God”
in English), a story on the search for some of the best wines of the
world. The series has been translated
into various foreign languages and has boosted wine sales significantly both
inside and outside Japan.
* * *
One evening at Sushi-Ko Honten in Ginza, the sushi chef served a bottle of Volnay to a couple at
the end of the counter. I chatted with him when he was free.
“I did not know that you serve wine
here. I did not see a wine list.”
“We do not have a wine list.”
“Then how would customers know that
you serve wine, and what to order?”
“We make recommendations.”
Oh!
He went on to
tell me that the owner of Sushi-Ko had been stocking up Burgundy for twenty
years, and that the restaurant had
an inventory of over 10,000 bottles stored in four locations.
“How well does red Burgundy
pair with sushi?”
“It goes well, especially
with red flesh fish. But the wine needs
to have some years on it.” By some, he meant ten or more years.
“I am more a white wine
person. I like Meursault.”
“That won’t be a
problem. We have Meursault from
Coche-Dury, Ente, Lafon, …” He recited
the list of who’s who of white Burgundy.
“What pairs well with
Meursault?”
“Anago. The acidity of the wine cuts through the fat under
the skin of the fish and results in a perfect harmony.”
Then he added, “I am off tomorrow.
But if you come to lunch, I shall be here with a nice bottle of
Meursault for you.” He did not say which
Meursault. Nor did he mention the price. He had just made his recommendation.
