Tag - by-the-glass

 
 

BY THE GLASS

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Aug 12, 2011
Grape adventures in northern climes
If you're thinking of taking a break from the sweltering heat of Japan's southern and central regions, Hokkaido is the perfect destination. As well as its wonderfully fresh local cuisine, stunning natural scenery and balmy climate, the northern island is also home to a burgeoning wine culture that looks set to spread its tendrils overseas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jul 8, 2011
Kusuda makes NZ wine his own way
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most challenging grapes: Sensitive to frost and rot, this thin-skinned varietal really tests the limits of a winemaker's skill. But tenacious winemaker Hiroyuki Kusuda wouldn't have it any other way. This Japanese national has fought against the odds to set up his own wine label, Kusuda Wines, in New Zealand and is now producing pinot that has gained an extremely positive reception from wine gurus such as Master of Wine Jancis Robinson.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jun 10, 2011
Koshu wine gets uncorked abroad
On June 19, Shizen, a white wine made in Japan with the native Koshu grape, will make its debut at Vinexpo, Bordeaux. By exhibiting at one of the wine industry's most important events, Ernest Singer, the man behind Shizen and a project to improve winemaking in Japan, is declaring his confidence in Koshu wine to the international community.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
May 13, 2011
Wine is no game for Capcom boss
Hurricane-kicking its way onto the wine scene in 2009 was a new brand, Kenzo Estate, owned by the CEO of video-game giant Capcom. Clearly playing to win, Kenzo Tsujimoto hired California's brightest wine talents to create a wine for the Japanese market that combines value for money with excellent quality. Made on his stunningly beautiful estate deep in the heart of California's Napa Valley, Kenzo Estate is a labor of love that took over a decade to come to fruition.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Apr 8, 2011
Won't somebody think of the wine?
Many Tokyoites counted themselves lucky when the March 11 quake left their homes largely intact, except, perhaps, for the odd broken glass. But while the damage was of course far more grave in the northeast, this wine writer would like to spare a thought for those in the hospitality business, whose stock in trade is in fragile glass bottles and tableware. These are among the many thousands of Japanese businesses that face difficult months ahead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Mar 11, 2011
Savor the taste of bottled sunshine
Last year's World Cup gave Japan the opportunity to discover more about South Africa than just vuvuzelas: In 2010, packaged wine exports from South Africa to Japan grew by an impressive 11 percent. While the noise of the hornlike instrument is happily fading away (hopefully never to be heard again), the impression left by the country's wines might prove to be more enduring, not least because they represent excellent value in these straightened times.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Feb 11, 2011
Asia's top sommelier sees glass half full
Satoru Mori is a sommelier with almost unlimited reserves of drive and passion. At the age of 33, he is not only the winner of 2009's Best Sommelier of Asia-Oceania Competition, but also more recently a semifinalist in the Best Sommelier of the World Competition 2010.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jan 14, 2011
Quality is key at Chilean organic winery
When two representatives from Chilean winery Emiliana came to town in October, it coincided with fantastic news. Images of the rescue of the last miner who'd been trapped underground since the Aug. 5 Copiapo mining accident were played out over the giant screens in front of Tokyo Station and, in a nearby hotel, we toasted the occasion with some very special wine.
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Nov 12, 2010
Australia bottles a touch of class
A few weeks ago a decadent dinner held at the American Club in Tokyo showcased some top-notch wines from two Australian family-owned wineries. Though the tablecloths were stiff and well starched, the staff — who served up some cracking fusion cuisine that brought out the best in the wine — were not, fostering a convivial and informal atmosphere.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Oct 8, 2010
Affordable wines for all occasions
'Abstinence is bad for you," trumpeted the press in August, while reporting on a new study published in the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research." The findings showed that during the 20-year study of a group of 1,824 participants between the ages 55 and 65, 69 percent of the abstainers died, compared with just 41 percent of moderate drinkers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Sep 10, 2010
A cooling splash of New Zealand
A bit like having a water pistol shot straight in the face, a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand can slap you right out of your late-summer stupor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Aug 13, 2010
East meets West at the dining table
Matching wine with Japanese food can be fraught with difficulty. A refined, oak-aged Bordeaux paired with a cool plate of sashimi, for example, can come across as brash and overbearing, completely drowning out the subtle spectrum of seafood flavors. But that's not to say great matches are impossible. They do exist; but like all forms of cross-cultural communication, it helps if you're flexible — both with your choice of wines and your seasoning.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jul 9, 2010
Spanish vintners are shaping up
Ah, Spain . . . land of bullfights, football and flamenco. The current trend to celebrate all things Spanish means that we can be bound a little by stereotypes: Not all Spanish are hot-blooded, football mad, paella eaters. When it comes to wine too, we can be constrained by preconceptions, but there's more to Spanish wine than the cheap stuff that's splashed into a glass of Sangria or the country's most famous top-class tipples of Rioja and Cava.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jun 11, 2010
It's down to earth in the Napa Valley
A certain amount of hubris might be expected from the representatives of some of Napa Valley's most famous wineries. Surely the Californians, who flew into Japan last month to show off their wares at Tokyo's American Club, would not miss the opportunity to brag a little about the big impact their wines have had on the world? Not a bit.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
May 14, 2010
German Rieslings: a light, dry delight
It's a breathtaking sight: Between the rigid rows of bare vines, constellations of seeding dandelions glisten silver in the morning light. While the barely budding vines may seem dull in comparison, the golden Rieslings made from last year's grape harvest are glittering with promise in my glass. Spring in Germany is the perfect time to assess the quality of the newly bottled vintage, and I've been invited by the Deutsches Weininstitut (German Wine International) to meet some of the nation's new generation of winemakers, who, with each year's new crop, are redefining the boundaries of what the Riesling grape stands for.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Apr 9, 2010
The perfect pairings for spring picnics
Spring has officially sprung us from our winter cages out into parks and gardens that are blooming with life. After having had our senses cooped up in the sterile indoors, we can now enjoy the subtle and stimulating scents of blossom and cut grass — and what better way to amplify the experience than to drink a wine that matches these sensations? With their floral aromas, crisp acidity and mineral flavors, wines from the French regions of Burgundy and the Loire Valley are the perfect companion to a spring picnic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Mar 12, 2010
Wine importers keep their cool
A few years ago, I enjoyed a chilled glass of wine while sitting on a cobbled street in the medieval French city of Chinon in the heart of Loire Valley; the wine was from the surrounding vineyards of Samur and tasted absolutely divine. When I got the chance to sample a similar wine from the same region this week, however, I felt slightly let down — the subtle minerality of the drink seemed to have been lost. This was no doubt due in part to circumstance — sensations are often more vivid when we're on holiday and basking in the afternoon sun — but it got me wondering: Wine travels huge distances to get to Japan; by the time it reaches us, has the journey itself had an effect on its quality?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Feb 12, 2010
Fine wines from a complex region
According to the philosopher Isaiah Berlin, great thinkers can be separated into two broad categories: hedgehogs and foxes. While hedgehogs view the world through one single defining idea, foxes embrace the multitude of contradictory experiences that life throws up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jan 15, 2010
Reinventing the classics
"In Italy I already had a job and family. If I had come to Japan and everything finished, I could have easily gone back to Italy because I had a place there. Coming here was a bit like a game and it still is for me," says TV celebrity Girolamo Panzetta.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Dec 11, 2009
Make merry with top festive wines
In case you haven't noticed, it's the season to be jolly. If you aren't yet decking the halls with sprigs of holly here's just the thing to get you in the spirit: a Christmas wine guide, which will take you from pre-Christmas party to post-Christmas stupor in four easy stages.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world