Frédéric Cayuela is one among our Account Managers in Tokyo, having labored around the globe within the wine commerce for the final 12 years. Right here, he shines a lightweight on the Japanese market – what’s modified since he’s been based mostly there, and what the long run may maintain.
My preliminary curiosity in wine started as a teen. I used to be in Roussillon within the South of France, curiously observing my grandfather consuming his every day glass of wine. My palate was too younger, not but seasoned, so the finer flavours had been misplaced on me. However this reminiscence, mixed with my first harvest on the age of 14, stirred an early curiosity in wine.
My expertise within the wine business spans 12 years, two of that are right here on the Berry Bros. & Rudd workplace in Tokyo. With about 25 completely different certifications, I’m the embodiment of a “wine nerd”. Throughout my time in France and Singapore, I labored in wine gross sales; and in Japan, I labored in wine media and as an teacher on the famend Academie du Vin in Tokyo.
Japan is a really mature wine market. Once I arrived right here 5 years in the past, I used to be thrilled to satisfy among the most educated Burgundy and Bordeaux consultants I’ve ever encountered. That mentioned, the Japanese market has undergone a big transformation over the previous few many years. The high-end French labels that had been dominant within the ’90s and early 2000s have given solution to a rising demand for Italian wines. This shift will be attributed, partially, to the rise of Italian eating places within the nation, which have shortly turn out to be the brand new customary, changing the traditional French gastronomic institutions.
Past traditional and famend winemakers, I’m seeing a rising curiosity in lesser-known and area of interest growers. Some areas and producers on this vein are proving particularly fashionable: new generations of artisans in Burgundy akin to Pierre Girardin, Alvina Pernot and Théo Dancer; and Dhondt-Grellet and Frédéric Savart in Champagne. There’s a concord between Japanese winemaking and an artisanal strategy. Native makers produce wine of an excellent high quality; their pioneering works are extensively admired and they’re typically depicted as superstars, which is heartening to see.
I like the truth that Berry Bros. & Rudd has entry to 1000’s of wonderful wines, not like another retailers. The plethora of alternatives implies that day-after-day at work is exclusive. How thrilling! Personally, I’ve a robust inclination in direction of the wines of Burgundy and Champagne. I’m a passionate advocate for small new growers and artisan makers, and I’m delighted they’re proving fashionable with the native market right here too.
I additionally suppose that Mediterranean wine areas have a vivid future in Japan, because of the emergence of a brand new era of creative winemakers. Châteauneuf-du-Pape within the South of France. Rioja and Priorat in Spain. My very own French and Spanish origins might have influenced me right here, however I’m all the time amazed by the expertise and adaptableness of growers in these areas to deal with the rising temperatures and results of world warming.
The Japanese market is endlessly thrilling, and all kinds of areas and types have a future right here. I’m trying ahead to seeing what the years forward will carry.
