L’Orient is an award-winning, Yamanashi-based winery that was established in 1938. Good sign, good sign, good sign. To add another good sign, it is family run! And to add just one more good sign, they know what they are doing. I had the good fortune to meet the vintner, Mr. Uchida, at the Gourmet Show, … Continue reading Trumpeting the Spirit: L’Orient’s Grappa from Muscat Bailey A →

Sake Cup as Boat, Okumura, Masanobu, Edo Period A sultry evening in Tokyo found me at a JSS Media Event, which the organization holds periodically for journalists and sundry. The speaker was Associate Professor Yuki Hata from Meijo University, Nagoya. She was enthusiastically telling those assembled about Edo Period manga containing references to sake and … Continue reading Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association’s Media Event (July 14, 2026): I Left Stirred, Not Shaken →

Rye, Ivan Shishkin (1832-98) There are times when even the most dedicated bon vivant finds pleasure in the simplest drinks and dishes, when the farmhouse apple brandy gives more satisfaction than what is contained in that pricey bottle in the bottle shop, when a slice of dark bread topped with a generous serving of butter … Continue reading The Sincerity of Simplicity: The Joys of Kvass →

Malaysia is one of our favorite countries, for reasons too numerous to mention in this short blog entry. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit one of their showcase cities, Malacca, lots of history, good restaurants, clean streets, and a safe environment. We do not know whether anyone else has picked up on this, but … Continue reading Time for Toddy →

Strawberries, Edouard Manet, ca. 1882 No, this is not about that can! It’s about that cylindrical metal container, so familiar to beer lovers. The first beer can made its commercial debut about a hundred years ago, 1933 to be precise. One wonders whether there will be any events to commemorate this. A number of years … Continue reading The Can →

Readers who have been following this series know that the entries are focused on the “Wine of Moldova” event that was held at Tokyo’s elegant Meiji Kinenkan late in 2025. Ah, yes, it was Japan’s capital city, but after I took a couple of sips of Balti, I was transported back to the summer of … Continue reading Wine of Moldova: Barza Alba’s Balti, Part 4 →

From the pictures included with this entry, readers can see that the Wine of Moldova night was quite an event. It was also an opportunity for those present to taste an indigenous varietal wine of Moldova called “Feteasca Neagră.” When Moldova was part of the Soviet Union, this grape nearly disappeared from Moldovan vineyards, but … Continue reading Wine of Moldova: Kazayak’s Sens Feteasca Neagră, Part 3 →