Stories Behind the Bottle
Patrick Baudouin: The Long Return to Chenin
Patrick Baudouin returned to Anjou in 1990 to rebuild a family estate, centred it on Chenin, and chose how the work would continue in 2026.
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Stories of makers, ingredients, places and the decisions behind Japan's most compelling drinks.
Stories Behind the Bottle
Clos Regain: The Estate Within the Estate
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 A new wine estate does not always begin with new land. Sometimes, it begins with a decision to look again. In Jurançon, at the foot of the Pyrenees in southwest France, Clos Regain emerged from a closer reading of an existing estate. The decisive change was simple: parcels that had shown marked […]
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Not Defining Umeshu by a Single Formula — Umeyoshi’s Choice of Four Base Spirits
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.07 The character of umeshu is rarely defined solely by plum variety or level of sweetness. Shift the spirit in which the fruit is steeped, and the entire landscape of raw ingredients, heritage, and technique transforms along with it. Based in Minabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Kishu Honjo Umeyoshi crafts its […]
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Perspectives
How Pasteurization Shapes the Identity of Sake: The Heritage of Autumn’s Hiyaoroshi
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 How Pasteurization Shapes the Identity of Sake: The Heritage of Autumn’s Hiyaoroshi Sake undergoes a delicate process called hiire (pasteurization). After pressing, the liquid is gently warmed to approximately 60°C (140°F) to deactivate naturally occurring enzymes and stabilize its quality. Long before Louis Pasteur scientifically documented the benefits of low-temperature heat treatment […]
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Perspectives
Did Jennie Jerome Really Host the First Manhattan? The Origin Story the Dates Do Not Support
The Manhattan's modern ratio is not its original one, and its famous 1874 banquet story conflicts with the historical timeline.
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What “Unfiltered” Truly Means: The Pale Golden Hue of BORN Gold
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.06 When a sake is described as “unfiltered,” it may sound as though it has bypassed filtration altogether. That reading does not fully reflect the brewing process. After fermentation, the mash, or moromi, is pressed to separate liquid sake from solid sake lees. This separation itself performs a filtering […]
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Perspectives
Did “Count Negroni” Really Exist? The Unverified Origins of a Cocktail Known Around the World
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 Did “Count Negroni” Really Exist? The Unverified Origins of a Cocktail Known Around the World Watch the video — Classic Cocktails, Ep.01: Negroni The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, a standard reference work on cocktail history, offers no precise date for the creation of the Negroni. Instead, it places its origin […]
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The Precision of Timing: Two Spirits Behind Sasshu Sekitoba Matcha
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.05 Upon encountering a spirit made with matcha, one might picture tea powder simply stirred into the finished liquid to impart color and aroma. Official materials from Hamada Syuzou in Kagoshima describe a different sequence. Kagoshima-grown matcha and green tea are used during fermentation. The fermented mash is then […]
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Dryness Is Not a Single Number: Two Rice-Polishing Ratios in Heiwa Shuzo’s KID Junmai Ginjo Karakuchi Kid
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 KANPAI Makers’ Choices No.04 “Dryness” in sake may sound straightforward, yet it cannot be determined by a single number. Labels and product descriptions often use the Sake Meter Value, or SMV, as a guide. A reading farther into positive territory is generally associated with a drier profile. According to the National Research […]
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CRAFT BEER
How Much Should a Brewery Reveal? How Japan’s Craft Breweries Define the Boundaries of Transparency
English ภาษาไทย 日本語 The Boundaries of Openness, Taproom Culture and Communication Beyond the Production Floor “How much of a brewery should visitors be allowed to see?” Traditionally, places where alcohol is brewed have rarely been open to outsiders. Brewing requires precise temperature control and careful handling of microorganisms that cannot be seen with the naked […]
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