Tag Archives: Wine Tasting

GRACE WINES Co (Yamanashi Prefecture)Wines Tasting at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City!

La Sommeliere in Miyuki-Cho, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka Prefecture was reserved for the whole day on Wednesday, July 19th!

Once again Mr. Katsunori Kaneko of Grace Wines Co. in Yamanashi Prefecture graced (conscious pun!) us with his presence at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City to help us taste the wines of his company under the auspices of Mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa, Wine & Sake Sommeliere and owner of the establishment!

Some of the studious attendance!

Mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa and Mr. Katsunori Kaneko looking after us!

A sample of the soil and rocks found in Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture where Grace Wines Co. is located and producing organic wines since 1923!

The wines of the day!

SERENA Chardonnay Traditional Method Spakling Wine.
White. Extra brut. Chardonnay grapes.
Alcohol: 12.5%
Double fermentation. Manual remuage. 23 months maturity inside bottles.

Clarity: very clear
Color: Light golden hue. Fine bubbles.
Aroma: dry and fruity.
Dry muscat. Faint melon.
Taste: dry and fruity attack.
Wecome acidity.
Lingers long enough n the palate for true tasting.
Muscat. Raisins.
Very easy to drink. Refreshing and unpretentious.
Recommended pairings: Asparagus, vegetable salad.

Gris de Koshu
White. Alcohol: 12%. Koshu Gris grapes.

Clarity: very clear
Color: faint golden
Aroma: light and fruity with a sweetish woody accent. Faint vanilla.
Taste: dry and fruity attack.
Lingers on palate only for a short while.
Dry muscats.
Refreshing if somewhat short impression.
Tends to get sweeter and fruitier with food.
Recommended pairings: cottage cheese, vegetable salad, chicken salad.

Grace Kayagake 2016
White. Alcohol: 11.5%. Grace Wines Co. white grapes blend.

Clarity: very clear
Color: light golden hue
Aroma: dry and spicy. Dry muscats. Faint lemons.
Taste: dry and fruity attack.
Flowers, dry muscat.
Lingers on the palate only for a short while but very steady.
Ends on dry but softer note.
Easy to drink. Actually finishes on improved impression.
Recommended pairings: chicken salad, white-fleshed fish Meuniere.

Grace Koshu 2016
White. Alcohol: 12%. Grace Wines Co. Grapes blend.

Clarity: very clear
Color: light golden hue
Aroma: dry and deepish. Raisins
Taste: dry, slightly acidic and fruity attack.
Pineapple, raisins.
Lingers long enough on palate for true tasting.
Pleasant impression appealing for a further sip. Raisins tend to surge again with every sip.
Recommended pairings: tempura, sushi, grilled white-fleshed fish, vegetable terrine.

Grace Koshu Torii Birahata 2016
White. Alcohol: 12%. Grace Wines Co. Grapes blend.

Clarity: very clear
Color: light golden hue
Aroma: dry and spicy. Flowers, muscat, raisins.
Taste: dry and slightly deep attack.
Light and easy to drink.
Fine petillant.
Lingers on the palate only for a short while.
Muscat, figs.
Recommended pairings: white-fleshed fish Meuniere, sashimi, shellfish.

Koshu Torii Birahata Private Reserve 2016
White. Alcohol: 12.5%. Grace Wines Co. Grapes blend.

Clarity: very clear
Color: light golden he
Aroma: discreet and sweetish. Flowers, sweet apple, faint raisins.
Taste: dry, fruity and elegant attack.
Lingers long enough on the palate for true tasting.
Apples, faint raisins, peach.
Recommended pairings: chicken karaage, vegetable terrine.

Looking forward o he next wine tatsing!

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00, 12:00~18:00 on Sundays & National Holidays
FACEBOOK (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pie
rre.Cuisine
, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

GRACE WINE Co. (Yamanashi Prefecture) Wine Tasting Party at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City!

Wednesday February 18th saw the visit of Mr. Katsunori Kaneko/金子克憲さん, The Sales Executive of GRACE WINE Co (Grace Winery) for a wine tasting party organised by Mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa/長谷川浩美さんat La Sommeliere Wines & Sake Bar in Miyuki-Cho, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City!

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La Sommeliere entrance!

GRACE WINE Co. was founded in 1923 in Katsunuma Cho, Yamanashi Prefecture and is presently managed by the 4th generation in the person of Shigekazu Misawa/三沢茂計さん and the 5th generation in the name of his own daughter, Ms. Ayana Misawa/三沢彩奈さん.

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Some of the tables for the lucky 17 guests counting wine specialists and wine lovers from every part of Shizuoka City!

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The “GRACE WINE Flag”!

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The party was professionally organised with a computerized video projector!

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My seat where I was not only eating and tasting but also writing and using my small computer!

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Mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa, Mr. Katsunori Kaneko and qualified staff posing for posterity!

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Mr. Katsunori Kaneko conducting a last tasting in airs with the meal of the day!

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Last preparations!

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Mr. Katsunori Kaneko introducing Grace Wines and the winery to a captivated audience.
Grace Wines are steadily getting recognition abroad, in Singapore in particular!

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Busy taking notes!

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The first wine of the evening!
White “Koushhu/甲州”!
Koshu is a native grape which has been known for 1,000 years in the Village of Katsunuma giving a white wine which truly deserves the name of Japanese wine.
The aroma is very assertive, pleasant and fruity thanks to maturing process “sur lies”.
Very fresh and light attack.

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The first dish was a “Na no Hana no O-hitashi”, rape seed flowers prepared in Japanese-style light broth.

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The second wine was a more familiar white wine as it was made with Chardonnay grapes.
Very similar in aroma and taste to the better kinds of Chardonnay found all over the world.

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Our second dish was a plate of new potatoes boiled in broth and served with dried cherry shrimps and finely chopped scallions!

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Our third wine was an intriguing old white wine made in 2002 called Cuvee Misawa.
It has a beautifully rich golden color and tasted like a dry sherry although it was made with Chardonnay grapes only.

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We drank for the sake of it waiting for the fourth wine and the accompanying dish!

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Our fourth wine was simply called “Merlot” as it was made with Merlot grapes at the rate of 85%.
A typical Merlot grape wine, pleasant and easy to drink, although still a bit young.

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The dish for the Merlot, typically French in concept!

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Couscous and beans salad!

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Extravagant marcassin terrine (wild boar cub) by Chef Yoshinori Kawasaki/川崎芳範さん of KAWASAKI Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
The marcassin had been shot in the wild at the foot of Mount Fuji by Chef Yoshinori Kawasaki/川崎芳範さん who owns a hunting license!

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The dessert wine and dessert concocted by mrs. Hiromi Hasegawa!

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A dessert Port-style wine called “Shuugoro no Vin/周五郎のヴァン” after the writer Shuugoro Yamamoto!
Very pleasant port-style wine with lots of fruit, especially prunes!

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With a beautiful Tiramisu to finish the wine tasting party in beauty!

Incidentally I will conduct a more precise tasting of these wines later in the year, so keep tuned!

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00, 12:00~18:00 on Sundays & National Holidays
FACEBOOK (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

So Good Sushi Restaurant in Nice France
Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pie
rre.Cuisine
, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Wine Tasting at La Vigne

lavigne-tasting-1

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value
no-smoking-logo!

As I found myself not busy with cricket due to heavy rain the night before I took the opportunity to visit la Vigne, the new French wine shop in Shizuoka which is conveniently equipped with a standing bar.
As usual I had the opportunity of making new from vastly different regions and ways of life as I tasted one of the dozen wines on offer:

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Region: Alsace
Grapes: Pinot d’Alsace
Year: 2007
Producer/owner: Laurent Barth at Bennwihr

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Clarity: Very clear and clean
Colour: Golden hue
Aroma: Light and fruity. Muscat. Elegant
Taste: Light, fruity, well balanced by pleasant acidity. Shortish tail. Light impression lingering at the back of the plalate. Muscat, memories of sweet raisins. Fleeting.

Overall: Would do well as an aperitif. Would marry well with light vegetables hors d’oeuvres and white flesh fish.
On the other hand, was subdued by the cheese I ate with it,
Probably best drunk on its own, very slightly chilled.

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The “cheese tray” included (from top left around the clock):
Laguiole, Brie de Meaux, Bleu de Gex and 25-month Gouda.

LA VIGNE
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Gofuku-Cho, 17-2, 1F (within walking distance for Shizuoka JR Station in front of Fugetsuro!)
Tel. & Fax: 054-2054181
Business hours: 10:00~22:00
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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