One must dive into Japanese winemaking starting with Hokkaido. There are many wine establishments in various formats in Sapporo, but we needed to get somewhere that the Japanese themselves frequent. And so, on the suggestion of my comrade, we got exactly where we needed to be. French Panda is a small wine bar with an excellent list of Japanese wine. It reminded me of the Parisian Cave Septime in its execution. The same cheerful atmosphere and wine vibe.
All wines could be drunk by the glass, which I took advantage of. The Gewürztraminer from Kamisato Vineyard reminded me of Savagnin from the Jura. No perfumed notes; everything was very beautiful and juicy. The acidity was electric, and the wine was generally in a very pleasant style. Following that was Pinot Gris with maceration from Domaine Mont. This is the tiny domain of Atsushi Yamanaka in the main wine point of Hokkaido in Yoichi. Atsushi makes only Pinot Gris, and in this case, the wine is made like a red wine, which determines its aromatics. However, it is not the usual orange wine, but a wine with a very original aroma. It features an abundance of tea notes and dry sea buckthorn.
Next was Rose comme Rouge from Takahiko Soga. A rosé wine from Zweigelt in a very racy (or racial) style. Again, no intrusive fruitiness, but only finesse and freshness. It drinks perfectly. One could talk about Takahiko’s wines for a long time; it is philosophy in its purest form. His Pinot Noir is an entirely separate dimension of wine made from this variety. I finished with a red assemblage (blend) of Merlot and Dornfelder from Domaine Bless. This is another small winery from the vicinity of Yoichi. In style, it was reminiscent of the red wines of Saumur, only slightly spicier. The palate has a light body and it drinks perfectly.
