by Sarah Abbott MW
My friend and fellow MW, Kenichi Ohashi, told me some time ago that Georgian amber qvevri wine was a sensational combination with top sushi and sashimi. And last year I was fortunate enough to taste the evidence, when I discovered that the beautifully (or notoriously, depending on your palate) intense flavours of sea urchin were incredible with the richer styles of amber qvevri wine.
Japan is a highly sophisticated market for wine, especially for fine Burgundy, and top Champagne. The wine culture is heavily influenced by the mores of France, refracted through a precise Japanese lens.
I was intrigued to read this article in the Japan Times on the rise in popularity of orange/amber wine in Japan, and their increasing prominence in fine Tokyo restaurants, and not just with sushi.
Melinda Joe writes:
“At Pelmeni Kitchen, Russian-style dumplings stuffed with veal and bathed in sour cream are a match for lively Pheasant’s Tears Tsiska Imereti 2016.”
