“The Okura Tokyo” will begin a new era in September 2019. The new Okura will consist of two buildings, the Okura Heritage Wing and the Okura Prestige Tower, and will continue to evolve while preserving the essence and traditions of Okura. Twelve stories that reaffirm the charm of Okura and explore the new The Okura Tokyo.
Okura has an abundance of exquisite wines that can only be tasted here.
The Okura Tokyo's wine cellar has approximately 30,000 bottles in stock. Domestic hotel wine cellars are said to have a large inventory of 10,000 bottles, so they are by far the most complete. All wines are required to be in the best condition, and temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. It's no wonder that so many customers order this wine because they trust it because it's Okura wine.
Akio Watanabe, Okura's chief sommelier. She gives lectures on wine at the Okura Wine Academy, and her lectures, which can be enjoyed along with Okura cuisine, are very popular.
“Some of these wines have been aged for a long time, while others are served while they are relatively young, so you can enjoy wines with a variety of ripeness. Wines from the Burgundy region of France have become difficult to obtain in recent years. "However, because we have built good relationships with the producers through our past transactions, we are able to obtain a stable supply of them," says Akio Watanabe, chief sommelier.
In fact, Okura's sellers are not only located in Japan. Pommery, a major maison in the Champagne region of France, has a space dedicated to Okura in its cellar, where he ages his Brut Royal Magnum for long periods of time. The place is a Gallo-Roman limestone quarry called Clayer, owned by the Pommery company, and has a huge underground cellar that is 18 kilometers long. The temperature is around 10 degrees throughout the year, and the humidity is 90%. It is an ideal environment for aging Champagne.
Pommery's cave has a space dedicated to Okura. Okura is currently the only hotel in Japan with such a space. On the right is Paul-François Vranken, founder and representative director of the Vranken Pommery Monopole Group, and on the left is Masami Ikeda, chairman of Hotel Okura Tokyo.
``When I went to Pomery's Cave, I asked about a space exclusively for Okura, and they were more than happy to accommodate me,'' which gives a sense of their long-term relationship.
``At Champagne, we have been purchasing a lot of Krug for a long time.At our grand opening in September, we plan to serve magnum bottles of Krug aged in each restaurant in glasses,'' says Watanabe. Serving aged Krug in a glass is likely to become a hot topic as a typical Okura hospitality.
Watanabe is also the manager and chief instructor of Hotel Okura Wine Academy. This is a popular course that started in 2006, and its most distinctive feature is that it teaches cooking. Unlike wine schools that only taste wine, the purpose is to enjoy the entire wine culture. “Some people enjoy it because they can prepare their own Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes that go well with the wine,” says Watanabe. Cheese will be served after the meal, and you will also be able to learn about cheese. The Okura Tokyo has 12 sommeliers. In addition, there are 30 employees who are certified as sommeliers or wine experts, even if they are not involved in wine-related work. Makes you feel the passion for wine.
By the way, The Okura Tokyo ordered original glasses from Hungary for its grand opening. ``The taste of the wine changes depending on where it hits the tongue.The atmosphere, feel, and appearance of the glass are all important,'' he says, revising the design many times. It is known that the taste of wine can change completely depending on storage, service, and glass. Through careful work, Okura bridges the gap between the creators and customers of this delicate drink.
(Titles omitted)
Photography by Mutsumi Tabuchi © The Okura Tokyo
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