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.
I met up with Mori in the elegant bar of La Tour d'Argent Tokyo to talk about his ambition to triumph at the next global sommelier contest and the pleasures and the perks of his job here at what is arguably Tokyo's swankiest French restaurant.
We're sat on sumptuous velvet sofas overlooking the traditional gardens of Hotel New Otani's Akasaka branch, in which the restaurant is located. La Tour d'Argent, whose parent branch is based in Paris, has a reputation for excellence and recently took first place in the prestigious Zagat guide's list of Tokyo's Top 10 restaurants. "You get famous actresses; even the emperor has dined here," Mori confides. "Yes, I get nervous. We've also had the prime minister. But we serve them as normal."