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May 05, 2024
 

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VINELAND

LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jul 28, 2002
A taste of the renaissance
Wine lovers in Tokyo are no longer far removed from the international wine scene. We have access to great wine shops and restaurants with well-chosen wines in every price category. And as we've investigated in the last few columns, bottles of wine now turn up even in formerly unthinkable locations, such as ramen shops, yakitori bars and elegant temples of washoku.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jul 14, 2002
Uncorking female potential
In Japan's otherwise troubled economy, women's buying power has been often cited as the force behind a stunning phenomenon of growth in the '90s -- the wine industry. In fact, during that time, Japanese women not only drove the rise in wine consumption, but they also found professional opportunities in the wine trade.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jun 30, 2002
Matches made in Tokyo
From California-style cafes to French bistros, international restaurants in Tokyo possess world-class wine lists. But if consumers' experience of wine is limited to their forays into international gourmet dining, it will remain an exotic, special-occasion beverage. To establish a comfortable home for itself in Japan, wine must find its way into less rarefied, local environments. It must make friends with Japanese cuisine, flirt with yakitori or sashimi -- or perhaps leap into an illicit liaison with tonkatsu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jun 16, 2002
Refined wining and dining without pretension
Japan's trendy wine boom ended a few years ago. Still, interest in wine did not plummet; instead, it normalized. In groceries stores, elderly ladies and hip twentysomethings alike scrutinize the wine shelves. At many Tokyo izakaya pubs, diners can opt for a glass of house wine with their sashimi, odenor okonomiyaki. Wine remains a special beverage here, but it is gradually entering everyday life. Its consumption has become less self-conscious, less inhibited and less encumbered. Wine is moving toward the status that it deserves: simply a delight for the palette.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jun 2, 2002
Snobbery will not be permitted
Once upon a time, wine in Japan was a hushed affair, conducted with starched linens and stiff-backed chairs. Elusive first-growth Bordeaux and top Burgundy accompanied the tense, dutiful rituals of business negotiations. The mood was earnest; the cost high. It sometimes seemed as if the highly codified atmosphere of the tea ceremony was transposed onto the realm of wine.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
May 19, 2002
Where the adventure begins
Wine complements all sorts of moods. At times, it is convivial. We share a bottle around the table, and our group of friends become merrier, the conversation seasoned with laughter. Yet wine can also nourish quiet contemplation. Sip a glass alone or with one other person (a beloved, perhaps), and then wine lends itself to thoughtful reflection or intimate conversation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
May 5, 2002
Vineyards of New World beckon in warm weather
Only a decade ago, adventure and good value were tough to find in Japan's wine market. Wine lovers traded news of secret finds. We carried treasured bottles back from trips overseas. We called up buddies and huddled together to relish the long-saved treat of a wine unavailable in Japan. The rituals bore similarities with an underground samizdat culture. We bonded over scarcity; our eyes turned moist when we recalled a sip of Zinfandel.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Apr 21, 2002
Keep on the grass and don't forget the wine
During the red wine boom of the 1990s, wine-crazed folks in Japan glugged trendy, robust red wines all year round. Even in the midst of muggy summers, restaurant patrons could be seen stoically sipping Cabernet Sauvignon, thick and tannic as espresso. Few wine drinkers wished to be mistaken for frivolous neophytes.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Apr 7, 2002
Think wild and feisty, think Sauvignon Blanc
In these budget-conscious times, it pays to be a wine nerd. When you sense a hot trend, run in the other direction. Dare to be contrary. The world's greatest wine bargains come from places and grape varieties that are temporarily out of fashion or simply overlooked.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Mar 24, 2002
Let your taste buds do the browsing
At some point, it happens to all of us. You stand in front of the wine shelves and stare at the labels. You struggle to remember the last great vintage in the Rhone Valley, Rioja or Tuscany. You see the name of a winery you've liked in the past, but can't recall if it was the Syrah or the Zinfandel (it was a long night). So you face this dilemma: You don't want to splash out on a bottle of wine without knowing if it will make your heart sing.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Mar 10, 2002
A few blooming good wines
The month of March moves us toward spring and the brilliant profusion of cherry trees in bloom. During the gray, damp days on the late edge of winter, we daydream of hanami parties. In Tokyo, we'll play a guitar on a blanket in Inokashira Park, eat sushi rolls under the tunnel of blossoms in Aoyama Cemetery, or meet for a picnic on the sprawling lawns of the Teien Museum. No matter where we find the perfect cherry-viewing spot, a good glass of wine invites us to toast spring's arrival.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Feb 24, 2002
Voyagers on the new wine frontier
There was a time when food-and-wine pairing was governed by tried-and-true rules and traditions. French restaurants served French wines, Italian restaurants were loyal to Italian wines, and so on.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Feb 10, 2002
Uncork a bottle of pure passion
This Valentine's Day, ignore the boxes of waxy, stale chocolate at the supermarket. Give up on forcing rhymes into a bad love poem. Never mind the refrigerated roses from the florist, their heads already on the verge of drooping.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jan 27, 2002
A note-perfect finish that's worth the wait
At one time, port and dessert wines were the essential end to a truly fine meal. The indulgence was justified by the thought that savoring a digestif restored peace to the stomach after a sumptuous dinner. It was a pleasure with medicinal value. Lean back in your chair, stretch out your legs and swirl the liquid in your glass: Now the real conversation begins.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Jan 13, 2002
A great group effort
After the yearend holiday whirlwind, a mood of austerity settles over the month of January. It's a shame, since deep winter evenings are arguably the best time of year to pop the cork on rich, dark and warming red wines. Yet there is a way to savor special wines even in tight-budget times. Start a wine-tasting group; increase the pleasure, but split the cost.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 30, 2001
Reasons to celebrate good-tasting bargains
Recent Vineland columns have focused on distinctive, luxury wines for holiday gift-giving and festive dinners. For our last column in 2001, we pursued an elusive category -- delicious bargain party bottles. It's a tantalizing quest. Few achievements are more gratifying to a wine lover than discovering an affordable indulgence.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 16, 2001
If you're going to pop the cork, do it in style
Recently, we asked professionals from the Tokyo restaurant-and-wine scene to share their tips for worthy holiday wine splurges and to tell us their favorite dishes to match. Their ideas may inspire the right present for a wine aficionado. You might also consider sampling these top picks in a New Year's Eve wine-tasting extravaganza with friends.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 2, 2001
The life of the party
The yearend holiday season brings a flurry of parties, rich dinners and the popping of corks. For those of us who love wine, this time of year presents a few dilemmas as well. There's the torture of finding the right bottle to give the boss or a gourmand in-law who has tried everything. Then we mull over the most delicious wines for a memorable Christmas or New Year's Eve with friends. Maybe we hunt, too, for the best Champagne for a romantic winter te^te-a-te^te. Wine creates a sense of occasion; it is the ribbon that ties together feasts, great and small.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Nov 18, 2001
You might think it's crazy, but this upstart is serious
With all the cultural treasures that Kyoto offers, perhaps few people would have wine in mind when planning their itinerary. After all, in a city with such richness of tradition, wine is a mere arriviste.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Nov 4, 2001
The quiet return of Riesling
Wine and hemlines are both susceptible to the whims of fashion. In recent years, the Riesling grape suffered from a dowdy reputation. During the big red wine boom of the '90s, it was shunned as a pale wallflower.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

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