Journal

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Stories of makers, ingredients, places and the decisions behind Japan's most compelling drinks.

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.