A Toast under the Trees

Melinda Joe is an American-born sake and wine professional living in Tokyo, Japan. She works as a freelance journalist and is the bar editor of the award-winning Tokyo Food Page (www.bento.com). Melinda loves eating, drinking, and witty repartee. Visit her blog Tokyo through the Drinking Glass at http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com.

Spring has taken the hand of Tokyo, and the city is blushing. For a few brief days every spring, people of all ages, across all economic brackets, turn out in droves to revel under the cherry trees. For reasons buried deep in the Japanese psyche, the fleeting appearance of the cherry blossoms carries tremendous cultural significance. O-hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, represents both the celebration and mourning of beauty’s transience, concepts that run closely parallel to the drink-fuelled merriment and subsequent hangovers that tend to accompany these parties.



For those of us in here in Tokyo, precious little time remains to catch the blossoms at their most poignant. Cascades of delicate pink petals have begun to carpet the ground, and the sakura will disappear completely in a day or two.

Capitalizing on the hanami craze this month, several wine retailers have been shrewdly pushing sparkling roses. Indeed, a perfect afternoon under the cherry trees might include a chilled bottle of strawberry-soft Moet et Chandon Rose, or a delicate Perrier Jouet Rose Fleur de Champagne, which comes in a fittingly floral bottle.

Of course, there’s no need to spend a wad of cash on booze for your party. These occasions rarely end in poetic meditations on life, death, and beauty; they’re more about cutting loose and having a good time with friends. All too often, this translates into over-consumption of cheap beer - or worse, happo-shu, a beer-like abomination made with little or no malt. Just because the group of salarymen beside you is getting trashed on crap, though, doesn’t mean you have to. Here are two picks for more civilized blossom viewing.

Les Terres du Sud Rose, a blend made exclusively for Japanese importer The Vine by Louis Barroul of St. Cosme in Gigondas, offers aromas and flavors of juicy red berries overlaying a dry, crisp midpalate. It’s versatile, with fresh acidity, and marries with a wide range of foods. Try it with veggie sticks and roasted red pepper hummus, sweet soy-glazed chicken meatballs, or a grilled vegetable salad tossed with anchovy dressing and lemon zest.

Product name: Les Terres du Sud Rose 2007 Vin de Table
Varietals: 80% Grenache, 20% Cinsault
Average Price: Y1995
Categories: Value, Party, Food Friendly
Rating: 2.5

Named for the white-blossomed Rikyubai tree in the brewery's courtyard, Rikyubai Kasumi Junmai Ginjo is a fabulously food-friendly usunigori, or lightly cloudy, unpasteurized sake from the Osaka region of Japan. This refreshingly dry, finely textured usunigori insinuates melon and Japanese pear on the palate and pairs very well with aromatic herbs and dishes with a hint of spiciness – seared katsuo (bonito) scattered with bright shiso and scallions, smoked salmon and cream cheese canapés with fresh dill, Thai green papaya salad.

Brand name: Rikyubai Kasumi Junmai Ginjo Usunigori Nama Genshu
Producer: Daimon Shuzo
Milling rate: 55%
Alcohol %: 15 - 16
Average Price: Y1680
Categories: Super Value, Party, Food Friendly
Rating: 2.5

Both of these bottles make terrific picnic companions. As the cherry blossoms make their quiet exit, Tokyoites are gearing up for our next opportunity to take to the parks: Golden Week.

Mantinia Moschofilero 2008 - Tselepos Estate

Vassilis Papadopoulos was born on December 18, 1978 in U.S.A. and currently lives in Athens – Greece. He is a sommelier & wine consultant, working freelance with restaurants, wineries, magazines and websites. He is a co-owner of the “Kazakos Drink Bank” (wine and spirits stores in Athens) administrating more than 1.700 different worldwide wine labels and thousands bottles which lie in the cellars of the stores. Also he is the president of the “KWC”, a Greek wine club which has more than 400 active members and organizes wine tastings, wine dinners, wine trips and more. You can contact him on: vaspa78@hotmail.com

Brand: Mantinia Tselepos

Winery: Tselepos Estate

Vintage: 2008

Appellation: Mantinia AOC (Greece – Peloponnesus)

Varietal: Moschofilero

Winemaker: Yiannis Tselepos

Oak: No Oak

Type: Dry White Wine

Alcohol: 12%

Vineyard: Selected vineyards from the communities of Lithovounia, Agiorgitika and Zevgolatio.

Wine Making: Modern technological winemaking with the method of skin contact at 10^oC for 8 hours. The fermentation is carried out at low temperatures of 12^oC.

Production: 200.000 bottles

Average Price: 9€

Category: Party + Authentic! Reasonably priced and high quality crowd pleaser. Also a wine that strongly express terroir.

Rating: 4,3 (on a 1 - 5 scale)

Tasting Notes:

Made from the noble Moschofilero Greek grape comes the white Mantinia Tselepos AOC wine. Light yellow color with some gray hues. The nose is very floral, white flowers and rose. Also citrus, lime, minerals and mint. In the mouth medium intensity aromas but elegant with a fresh lemon acidity. Medium finish. It will be best to drink it fresh and young, but may hold a bit longer. Best served at 10^o - 12^o C.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Salads, soups and seafood

Winery Notes:

Founded in 1989, with its first vintage in 1995, Tselepos Estate today releases about 300,000 bottles a year. French trained owner Yiannis Tselepos received his oenology degree in Dijon and worked in Burgundy. He does great work with local grapes, but also makes good international wines like Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gewurztraminer. The Estate's vineyards are situated at altitudes higher than 750m, at the foothills of Mt. Parnon and are part of a distinctive ecosystem with very cold winters and mild summers. They cover 25 hectares planted with 5 different varietals. The Estate's winery austere and functional at the same time, it is, above all, a working winery where the No 1 objective is the creation of good wine. Visitors have a chance to follow closely how wine is made in a state-of-the-art Greek winery. The winery is equipped with pneumonic presses, cooling installations, stainless steel tanks, underground ageing cellars, French oak barriques and an iso-barometric bottling line, operating in an air-vacuum.

Vintage Overview (2007):

The zone of Moscofilero has noticeably suffered from the drought because it is a region where usually we have sufficient rain falls. The production was at the level of 50 %, while the quality of grapes was excellent. The price increases have followed the general rule, the most at the level of 40-45%.

A perfect 5 of 5

David Grega is a certified sommelier and wine consultant living in the Napa Valley; In addition David is the consulting winemaker and national sales manager for Carlotta Cellars. For more information e-mail david@carlottawines.com

Winery: Mugnier

Vintage: 2005

Grand Cru: Musigny

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir

Average Price: $1400


Tasting Notes: Considered by many to be the wine of the vintage (knowing how great the 2005 vintage was that's saying a lot) the 2005 Mugnier Musigny is the greatest wine I have tasted this year by far, and is a candidate for greatest of all time. I have a feeling that if I taste this wine in 20 years it may take the "best ever" slot. My notes are as follows: The nose releases pure and beautiful aromas of black raspberry and black cherry with a lovely rose pedal and crushed mineral aspect. Hints of fine vanilla and cinnamon complete a unified and seducing bouquet. The palate is stunning to say the least. There is so much power in this wine yet a wonderful elegance as well. Succulent and ripe yet firmly structured with a ridiculously long and complex finish I'm in heaven...pure heaven...

Rating: 5 of 5 (Special occasion wine, sit down wine)

Cellaring: I would drink this at the earliest 2024, this wine will taste fantastic for 30+ years if cellared properly.

Grand Cru for the soul!

David Grega is a certified sommelier and wine consultant living in the Napa Valley; In addition David is the consulting winemaker and national sales manager for Carlotta Cellars. For more information e-mail david@carlottawines.com


Winery: Domaine DuJac

Vintage: 2003

Grand Cru: Clos de la Roche

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir

Average Price: $800 (Magnum)


Tasting Notes: I won't lie, we opened this decades too early on purpose. There is only one way to get a half decent idea about how long a wine will age, and that is to taste it. Here are the notes from this stunning wine. A nose only hinting at what will someday become a host of vivid aromas. A beautiful black cherry and rhubarb note with a powerful truffle and dark turned potting soil component make this nose jump right out of the glass. On the palate this wine is dense with absolutely pristine tannins. Despite the rock solid structure, there is an elegance to this wine. To me, that combination is the mark of a truly special burgundy. After a nice long finish I'm floored by this wine. The potential is nearly endless, but if I had to put a number as far as cellaring is concerned, I would say 20 years before I try this guy again.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 (Classic wine, sit down wine)

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

Aaron Epstein has been passionate about wine since before he could legally drink it, and at 27 he now has more than 5 years of professional wine experience. His love of the grape was born in Spain, took root in Italy, and has since led him around the world to work wine jobs in almost every aspect of the industry, most recently in Mendoza, Argentina. As of March, 2009, he is once again based out of his home city of New York, where he is racking up airline miles as a wine consultant and export agent for some of South America’s finest wines.
For more information visit Aaron’s wineblog Vino e Vita, or contact AA@aaepstein.com.

For centuries, the city of Verona in Northern Italy’s Veneto region was best known as the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Today it has become synonymous with wine – specifically the Valpolicella (and Amarone della Valpolicella) made in the hilly area from which it takes its name, just outside of town.

Since 1967, Verona has also played host to VinItaly, the world’s largest wine fair, which begins tomorrow and has provided me with the perfect excuse to come enjoy spring in my favorite part of the world. It’s a bit intimidating, however – 5 days, more than close to 4,500 exhibitors, and God only knows how many tasters from more than 100 countries. I hope I’m tough enough to keep up.

Luckily (I think), I won’t be tasting the whole time – I am here to work (or at least to “work”) – and will be spending much of my time pouring wine with my friend Alessandro Speri, 5th generation of the Valpolicella’s storied Speri family, and producer of one of Argentina’s most unique wines, Prodigo. Of the many winery owners and winemakers I had the fortune to meet while living in Mendoza, Argentina, Alessandro is the one I’ve become closest to - a friendship that began a year and a half ago in a mutual search for the best pizza in Mendoza has since led me to Verona. Hopefully, with our forces combined, it will also soon result in Prodigo overtaking the US wine market. And needless to say, we’ve had a couple of pizzas together here, and more than one buffalo mozzarella!

The story of Prodigo is fascinating to me not only as a personal anecdote, but also as an example of Mendoza’s growing allure to winemakers (and wine lovers) the world over.

Very literally, Alessandro grew up in the winery. His family home was located above the Speri cellar, and as a child he played amongst the vines and the barrels. (I know the image is a bit cliche, but it happens to be true.) He went off to Milan to study law, and it was there that his course changed when, in 2000, he fell in love with the Malbec grape. Upon meeting famed Tuscan winemaker Attilio Pagli - one of the pioneers of modern Argentine winemaking at Altos Las Hormigas – he began to dream of taking his family’s tradition to the new world. In 2002 he decided to make the move to Mendoza.

In doing so, he caused quite a stir in his family - his father was strongly against the move, as he thought it was impossible to make quality wine in Mendoza. He did not support his son (the Attorney) taking such a risk. Nor, I imagine, did he want his family name to be associated with what he saw as such an un-tested wine region. However, Alessandro went ahead with it against his father’s wishes, and became the family’s ‘prodigal son.’ Prodigo was born.

Based La Consulta, Uco Valley – his favorite region for growing Malbec and home to some of Mendoza’s highest altitude vineyards - Alessandro began by crafting small quantities of two wines, Malbec Classico and Malbec Reserva. He has since added a Pinot Grigio and a Tempranillo, and is currently producing approximately 3,200 cases of Malbec Clasico, 1,500 cases of the Malbec Reserva, and 1,000 cases each of the Pinot Grigio and the Tempranillo. The wines are lovely - relatively light for Argentina, with a high acidity that evokes the hills of the Valpolicella and makes for perfect food pairings. His wines are served all over Italy, including Verona’s renowned Bottega del Vino, where it is served by the glass. This is saying quite a lot, given that very little wine is imported into Italy, other than Champagne (which I’ve been surprised to see a great deal of on this visit).

Alessandro is certainly not the only Italian making wine in Mendoza, with wineries like Ave beginning to make waves with wonderful wines that evoke the winery owners’ Tuscan roots. However, my personal connection aside, the Speri background makes this story all the more interesting and illustrative. While the wine world is quickly coming to accept Argentine wines as world class, the anger of the elder Speri exemplifies old world skepticism, and shows that while many of us are constantly looking for innovation, the wine ‘establishment’ has centuries’ old traditions and often closes its eyes to change. It has taken quite a while for many new world winemakers time to prove themselves to sommeliers and wine buyers, and even to their parents. (Perhaps especially to their parents.)

Despite his success in Argentina, and in the Italian import market, it wasn’t until recently that the real reward came for Alessandro. When his father tasted the 2006 vintage of Prodigo and smiled, not only did he acknowledge the full realization of his son’s dream, but also the immense potential of ascending wine regions such as Mendoza.

The prodigal son has made his father proud, and I am more excited than I can say to be part of the next chapter of the story.