Blog Archive - Page 12 of 52

Blog

The Spectrum of Junmai Daiginjo: Tatenokawa at 8%, 33%, and 50%

The same brewery, committed entirely to a single category: Junmai Daiginjo. Yet its rice polishing ratios are deliberately split across three distinct marks｜8%, 33%, and 50%.

Drink

From the “Awamori Fungus” to the “Ryukyu Fungus”: A New Name for Black Koji and New Directions for Awamori Distilleries

How black koji’s scientific name changed, and how Okinawan awamori distilleries are extending their fermentation and distillation knowledge into gin and rum.

Drink

Time as an Ingredient: How Koji Introduced the Fermentation Clock to the Kitchen

The Michelin Guide’s inspectors have identified seven food trends for 2026. One of them is “Time Is an Ingredient.” Vegetables, fish, and meat are marinated or left to ferment slowly, in some cases with the introduction of koji. That is how the report frames it.

Stories Behind the Bottle

Save Wines of the Loire: What Does It Mean to Save a Vineyard?

Domaine du Closel shows the difference between preserving family ownership and keeping a living vineyard's land, team and knowledge intact.

Stories Behind the Bottle

Muscadet Renaissance: When a Region Began Naming Its Differences

How ten communal crus, longer lees ageing and exact vineyard work changed the resolution of Muscadet.

Stories Behind the Bottle

Domaine Dominique Gruhier: Restoring a Place to Its Purpose

A vineyard lost twice, a dilapidated abbey, and the work that returned both to a living purpose.

Stories Behind the Bottle

Domaine Lionnet: What It Means to Inherit a Hillside

At Cornas, succession is measured in old vines, new plantings and the decisions made between them.

Drink

Three Years Before “Organic”: The Time Behind a Wine Label

Wine labels often carry a small organic certification mark, varying by region of origin. Bottles imported into Bangkok are no exception. Most people read that mark as a statement about the present: “This wine is made using organic farming methods.” That is not wrong.

The Art of Japanese Herb Liqueur: Kanegasaki's Signature Flavors

Stories Behind the Bottle

Kanegasaki Herbal Distillery: Four Seasons from One Field

How Kazuma Oikawa turned Kanegasaki’s changing field into four seasonal decisions for the WAKA series.

Stories Behind the Bottle

Crème de Cassis KUBO: The Bartender Behind the Name

Why KUBO names a working bartender, and how a Burgundian category became a dialogue between Hachinohe and Kanegasaki.

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