The Portugal Wine Grand Tasting: Madeira

Portugal is a country dear to our hearts. The people are hospitable without being ingratiating; the food—codfish, sardines, lots of pork, and chicken—is exactly what we like to see on our plates; the number of indigenous grape varieties is high, which enlivens and enriches the wine-drinking experience; and the country is the cleanest one we … Continue reading The Portugal Wine Grand Tasting: Madeira →

Germany’s Finest: Schloss Johannisberg

A little while ago, one of us here at drinkingjapan.org had the good fortune of visiting Schloss Johannisberg, which is indisputably Germany’s most famous winery. Before we get into the sensory evaluation of the wonderful Riesling purchased therefrom, we would like to consider stumbling. That’s right, stumbling. Generally, this is a negative occurrence, especially when … Continue reading Germany’s Finest: Schloss Johannisberg →

A Rascal and a Villain at the Sakura Grand Tasting

It is always a pleasure to cover the annual Sakura JWWA Grand Tasting. The 2025 event was held at Tokyo’s Gajoen Hotel, one of the most attractive hotels in the city. This year there were approximately 700 people in attendance. We encountered a couple of wineries whose output we have extolled in years past and … Continue reading A Rascal and a Villain at the Sakura Grand Tasting →

A JFEX Gem: Yudanaka Brewery’s Sake Premium Beer

JFEX 2025, July We wrote about this brewery last year when we encountered them at JFEX. This year we ran into them again, the brewmaster to be precise, and had the opportunity to taste their Sake Premium Beer. This Nagano-based establishment puts out some pretty imaginative brews. For those interested in what we wrote about … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Yudanaka Brewery’s Sake Premium Beer →

Shinshu Miyada Wine Shiki 2023

Shiki 2023 is a wine made from 100% Yama-Sauvignon grapes, a hybrid of Yamabudo, a “wild” grape, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Shiki 2023 is produced by Mars Komagatake Distillery, which produces wine along with their more famous whisky. On the same premises is the Minami Shinshu Komagatake Brewery, a sister entity which produces the writer’s favorite … Continue reading Shinshu Miyada Wine Shiki 2023 →

Encounter at Raw Wine Tokyo 2025: Parra Libre Cinsault

Some of our readers might not be familiar with the term “raw wine,” so we will endeavor to provide a concise explanation for a concept that requires book-length coverage, which is exactly what Isabelle Legeron, the driving force behind the Raw Wine events, provides in her seminal work Natural Wine: an introduction to organic and … Continue reading Encounter at Raw Wine Tokyo 2025: Parra Libre Cinsault →