Wine Shopping in Tokyo
Of all the cities in Asia to buy wine, I think Tokyo is my favourite. The vast range of styles, grapes, regions, producers and vintages that are available within this city is perhaps rivalled globally only by London or New York. There are literally hundreds of great wine shops of all shapes and forms. Plus Tokyo offers some of the most competitive pricing of fine wines in the world. Taxes on wine in Japan are amongst the lowest in Asia, trumped solely by Hong Kong / Macau where the duty on wine has recently been completely axed. And the consumption tax (similar to VAT or sales tax) in Japan is only 5%. At the moment the Japanese yen is uncharacteristically strong, so importers are able to pick up some great deals particularly from Europe, though visitors to Japan may not find the bargain hunting here quite as plentiful as a few years ago.
Whenever I find myself in Tokyo even for a day or two, I can't resist foraging through the nooks and crannies of some of my former favoured Tokyo wine hunting grounds. Rarely do I depart Tokyo's Narita airport without a few wine finds carefully parcelled in and amongst my smalls for check-in. So since I'm constantly asked where I buy wine in Tokyo, I thought I'd share a few favoured shops:
Cave de Re-Lax
Cave de Re-Lax is a staple monthly (weekly?) wine-stop for many Tokyo based wine drinkers and a must-do for visitors. This well proportioned wine shop has styling somewhat reminiscent of a traditional French cave, hosting wide aisles of wines that are divided regionally and by colour and with a separate fine wine selection at the back. The staff members are knowledgeable and friendly without being intimidating or pushy.
This place seems to pride itself on offering off-beat wines that can't be found anywhere else in Japan or even Asia for that matter. When I was studying for the Master of Wine exams, I would come here to find important yet relatively obscure wines from around the world such as a good Austrian Gruner Veltliner or Torrontes from Argentina. During my last visit I stumbled upon two interesting wine experiences: Mandola's Oremus Dry Tokaji 2005 for 2580 yen and Henri Marie's Vin Jaune Arbois 1989 for 5400 yen. Or if you want to sample some great examples of Japanese wines, this shop has one of the largest selections in Tokyo.
Alternatively, if you're looking for great, everyday drinking bargains, Cave de Re-Lax shop always has something interesting on offer. I was recently able to pick up a bottle of Castano Monastrell 2007 from Yecla, a soft, full, fruity Spanish red, for just 1000 yen.
Cave de Re-Lax also has a good selection of the classics and fine & rares with the likes of Domaine de la Romanee Conti's La Tache 1985, a snip at 500,000 yen, or a magnum of Gaja's Barbaresco Costa Russi 1979 at 56,000 yen.
Another feature of visiting this shop is the cosy bar area at the back featuring tastings that can be enjoyed anytime thanks to a state-of-the-art wine preservation system. When I last visited, on offer was a mini-flight of Chateau Margaux - 1987, 1998 and 2001 - with a tasting portion trio available for 10,000 yen.
Akasaka Yomo
Akasaka Yomo is a wine lover's treasure trove, largely unknown to all but the most passionate of locals. It has a long history as a liquor shop, dating back as far as 1624. Nowadays from the exterior it looks like a cheap corner grocery store and on the ground level and upstairs this is mainly what it is, though the ground level also houses an extensive selection of Sake. But descend the narrow, unadorned wooden stairs into the dim cavern below and you find a secreted stash of difficult to obtain, fine wine collectables. Bordeaux is the real emphasis at Yomo although there is also a decent selection of wines from Burgundy, Italy, California and Champagne. Here you are apt to find coveted vintages and producers that are near enough impossible to find elsewhere. For example, this is probably the only shop in the world that you can walk in a buy a bottle of Cattier's very trendy Ace of Spades, if that’s your thing. But I was more interested in a bottle of Nicolas Potel's Vosne Romanee Vieilles Vignes 2005 at 6300 yen.
YaMaYa Akasaka
YaMaYa is a large chain of discount stores in Japan that sell everything from job-lots of cheap pasta to cous-cous and Oreo cookies. Yet their emphasis is wine. Their buying philosophy seems to be to root-out cut-price parcels of wine wherever and whatever they may be. Therefore understandably your shopping experience here is likely to be hit or miss. Having said that, I've struck a lot of hits at YaMaYas over the years, which is why it features amongst my list of favourites.
There are two YaMaYa branches that I particularly recommend for serious wine hunters, the Shinjuku and Akasaka locations. I prefer the relative calm of the Akasaka one and its proximity to Akasaka Yomo, just a couple of minutes stroll away, is a bonus.
Wines here are arranged by region, though it's worth searching right around the shop since featured parcels are often displayed a bit apart from their regions. There is also a separate fine wine area to the right of the entrance. And if you're short on stemware, this shop usually showcases a good selection of very reasonably priced Riedel glasses.
Many times there is absolutely nothing interesting to be found in YaMaYa, but oh the thrill of unearthing a real bargain. I've discovered everything from great vintages of Beaucastel, to a parcel of Almaviva's first vintage to some very well priced Krug 1998. Which reminds me; if you have any scruples about grey market purchasing you may want to tread carefully here
During my last visit there I found a parcel of Schloss Schonborn Rieslings with the 1990 Hochheimer Domdechaney Spatlese at just 2500 yen per bottle. Perhaps more exciting for Champagne fans was a few bottles of Jacques Selosse's Champagnes including his Initial at 17,800 yen and Exquise at 19,900 yen – a treat to find though not exactly a bargain on this occasion.
Enoteca Hiroo
I really couldn't do the Japan wine shopping scene justice without mentioning Enoteca. The recently publically listed group lends its name and branding to 31 stores in Japan and one in Hong Kong, with many located in very salubrious locations such as Tokyo's chic Roppongi Hills, Ginza-Matsuzakaya or their flagship shop in Hiroo.
Though it has a very good selection of French regional wines and is also big on Italy and Chile, Enoteca specialises in Bordeaux. In fact, Bordeaux sales account for around 30-35% of the company's business. Enoteca is the biggest player in Japan's relatively tiny Bordeaux en primeur market and sends out a reasonably prompt and comprehensive offer each year for select chateaux of name-dropping calibre.
Beyond Bordeaux, Enoteca pride themselves as the Japan agents for such top names as Comtes Lafon, Bonneau du Martray, Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Clos des Papes, Le Vieux Telegraphe, Sassicaia, Argiano, Castello di Ama, Capannelle, Sileni and Montes. This collection of high-profile agencies further allow Enoteca shops the opportunity to play host to a large number of visiting winemaker dinners and tastings each year, providing a welcomed educational resource for Tokyoites.
The Hiroo branch is one of their larger shops with a fine wine library to the rear. Visitors find themselves pervaded by an air of luxury as they enter this very serious gallery of bottles. And grounds become even more hallowed upon entering the "wine library" chamber filled mainly with Bordeaux older vintages and large formats. The area's most prized (and expensive) bottles are housed in a glass encased walk-in cellar, to be perused by permission only. This Hiroo branch also houses a wine bar and restaurant upstairs where a good selection of their wines can be sampled.
Still, while Enoteca may sound like a wine lovers' utopia, I've found that almost nothing wine-related in Tokyo bipolarises local consumers like the mention of its name – people either love Enoteca or detest them. Many complain the prices are too high compared to what can be found elsewhere and the vintages available are mainly off-years that are sold solely on name as opposed to drinking quality. Others find the staid sophistication of the showrooms with cordoned-off fine wine areas off-putting. Personally, I can't walk by an Enoteca without popping-in, though I'll confess that I seldom find myself buying anything. During my last visit I was a little tempted to give a bottle of Chateau Gloria 1985 a punt at 10,700 yen, but it was just a tad too much for the gamble.
To follow is a rough guide to exchange rates to help non-residents better understand references to Japanese Yen, based on rates available January 2009:
US $1 = 90.55 yen
British £1 = 130.26 yen
1 Euro = 118.35 yen
SG $1 = 60.46 yen
HK $1 = 11.67 yen