‘For Japanese wine, you must forget everything you know about wine.’
Gone are the days when Tokyo bars specializing in Japanese wine were a little secret — hangouts all too happy to keep a low profile and cater only to fans who can trade geeky wine vernacular and goings-on at local wineries.
Instead, the new breed of Japanese wine bars that have opened over the past three years have a kind of unabashed confidence, an aim to get the word out about local vino — a mood buoyed by the rising profile of domestic wine. Some shops offer bold concepts, such as Soiree, which opened in 2024 in Shibuya Ward and carries 4,000 bottles of Japanese wines, a far cry from the 100-odd bottles in the average bar. Others, like Nico in Tokyu Plaza Shibuya, set up in malls for maximum visibility.
The latest newcomer is Three Grapes, which opened last October in Shibuya Ward’s chic Yoyogi neighborhood.
Advertising by Adpathway
