We finally made it to Shonzui the other day. Not that it's particularly hard to find, it's just that it has taken us far too long to get around to visiting this friendly little wine bar down in Roppongi.
Shonzui has been with us since 1993, but it's always shunned the limelight. Unlike so many other establishments that were spawned during the early years of Japan's infatuation with wine, it's a laid-back, undemonstrative place that feels as if it should belong in one of our neighborhood drinking alleys -- Koenji, perhaps, or Shimokitazawa -- not here, within spitting distance of the soft, fleshy underbelly of Minato Ward.
Like so many of our most idiosyncratic eating and drinking spots, Shonzui is the product and reflection of one man's vision. Owner-cum-manager Shinsaku Katsuyama is the kind of affable person you'd expect to find behind the bar of a nomiya. He has decorated his establishment simply, with with tiles on the floor and Havana cigar boxes plastered into walls the color of terra cotta. He keeps the lights down low and the soundtrack alive with a constant stream of mellow rock music (Chicago blues and Steely Dan for most of the evening during our visit), selected from his extensive collection of original vinyl. He does have beer -- Kilkenny, Super Malts or Hoegaarden on draft -- as well as a fine selection of single malts and aged rums. But Katsuyama's main focus is on the fruit of the vine.