That opening line from the first season (1966) of that seemingly unending series known as Star Trek has long been a source of irritation for schoolmarms, pedants with way too much time on their hands, and free-floating cranks. Of course, there is nothing wrong with using a split infinitive now and again! Today, the schoolmarms … Continue reading Okuizumo Vineyards: “To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before”
Anticipating the Pop Some readers of this blog will recall the days when overseas diners would approach a plate of sushi with trepidation, fearing that its consumption might bring on—just to be a tad slangy here—the runs…or worse. Today, as we all know, sushi has gone international, and in some of its wilder overseas manifestations … Continue reading Okunota BaileyZZANTE 2016: A Traditional Method Masterpiece
This week we turn our attention to a cider produced by East Japan Railway Company. No, that’s not a mistake. Before the train leaves the station, though, we will make a few general comments. It is our opinion that the market for hard cider in Japan is potentially sizable. Why? There are several reasons. First, … Continue reading A-FACTORY Aomori Cidre Sparkling Dry: A Gateway Cider?
Appearance can tell you quite a bit about a wine, and it is often the first sensory encounter that the drinker has with the beverage , unless the wine happens to be sparkling, in which case it will be the sound of those tiny bubbles bursting in glass. Ordinarily, we at drinkingjapan.org do not spend … Continue reading Of Enzan Rouge 2020 and Colors
Orchard Meets Vineyard Yamagata’s Yellow Magic Winery has, to the best of our knowledge, broken new ground with the release of a beverage that is not quite cider, not quite perry, and not quite wine. This blend of apples (unspecified variety), La France pears, and Delaware grapes should not only please most palates but arouse … Continue reading Orchard Meets Vineyard with Yamagata’s Yellow Magic Winery GM Wine 2020
These days the word “herd” is being used with ever-increasing frequency. In short, herd immunity is good, but as Nietzsche made clear many years ago, herd mentality is not. What does this have to do with the subject matter dealt with on this blog, you ask? Good question. A number of years ago there was … Continue reading “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot; When You’re Not, You’re Not”: Takeda Winery Sans Soufre Cidre 2017
Their Fall Is Our Gain Ah, autumn has arrived, a time when a person’s thoughts turn to…. What? What did you say? Olympic debt and ragweed pollen? No, those are not the answers we are looking for here. It should be obvious that the correct response is “falling objects.” The English word fall when used … Continue reading Cave D’Occi’s FROM SCRATCH2020
Drinking Japan 