Something shocking happened to me the other day.
The problem was that my standards for what was "cute" were completely different from what young women considered "cute."
Well, I am aware that I am at an age where it is difficult for me to understand what young women mean when they say "cute." So I know that it's better not to force myself to say, "Yes, yes, I understand, it's cute."
(The other day, my daughter said that a young actress on TV was "cute," so I replied, "She's cute, isn't she?" and she called me "gross." Well, that's how it goes.)
But even if I was not confident about actresses or trendy things, I was a little confident about my specialty, "wine." I thought there was a Venn diagram overlap of "cuteness" between "wine girls" and "wine men."
After all, I have handled a wide variety of wines at Bokumo (a restaurant) up until now. Among them, I should have had a good idea of the type of wine that would make a young woman say, "That's cute!" when I served it to her.
For example, a champagne bottle with this design.
It's champagne, but it's not pretentious. The figures and expressions of the three ladies are somehow nice. I think this is a wine that both young women and older men can judge as "cute."
However, there are still not many New Zealand wines with this kind of design. Most of the labels are just alphabets, which makes it easy to understand the information. I think there is still room for improvement in design.
That's why, at Bokumo Wine, we were keen to add a New Zealand wine to our lineup if one came along that we thought would be considered cute (of course, the obvious assumption was that the wine itself was delicious).
Then one day, I received the following message from an importer I work with.
"Iwasu-san, we're going to release a limited edition of a really cute New Zealand wine soon."
"Really? (Looking at the catalogue) It's really cute! I've always wanted something like this."
I immediately agreed and ordered one for myself.
We then served it to two wine ladies who came to the counter at Bokumo (this was before we closed).
"Ta-da! We've got some cute New Zealand wine in stock that's sure to be a hit with the ladies!"
Mr. N: "Huh... (clearly confused face)"
T-san: "Um, that's... it's cute, or maybe it's just unusual."
Me: "Ahhhhh!"
···shock!!
My idea of what's cute is completely off the mark!
The illustrations on the labels are so cute that even an older guy like me can tell they're cute, so it's an easy question.
However, this time the question was about "cuteness," which was extremely difficult for an older man like me.
Here is the wine that was such a challenge.
When I saw this wine, my thoughts went like this:
Wow! The shape of this bottle is similar to Miraval from Provence in the south of France, which took the rose wine world by storm a while ago!
That winery was a joint project between Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and the local famous winemaker Marc Perrin, and it was a symbolic rosé of cool wine! (Although Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie broke up after that.)
That's right, this type of wine became popular with millennial women in Europe and America, who would drink it stylishly on terraces and post about it on social media!
This bottle has never been seen before in New Zealand wine! This is a photogenic wine perfect for millennial women!!
In other words , "It was popular with young women overseas" = "This bottle is cute."
...And that's what happened.
It seems that we are revealing the fact that cuteness is perceived as a symbol, not an emotion.
To begin with, I have practically no sense of what's cute, so when I think about the way I acted like I knew something about the cute market, saying things like "Ta-da!" at the counter, I feel very embarrassed.
I finally managed to get a straightforward response from Mr. N and Mr. T, "I don't think it's particularly cute," and it occurred to me how out of touch I was.
That's not good. Even if it's wine, which is my specialty, it's difficult to understand cuteness. I'll put my desire to introduce cute wine aside for now.
After all, the secret to success with wine is what's inside.
I went full circle and returned to the roots of being a sommelier.
They should properly explain the wine's origins, aroma, and flavor, and offer pairing suggestions.
So that's it....
Wine of the Week
I would like to properly introduce these three newly arrived products!
The winery is Trinity Hill , located in Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island.
NZ has a strong image of producing "relatively light" wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but this winery is unique in that it is a pioneer of "powerful flavors" like Bordeaux and southern France. Although there are only a few, there are also wineries that specialize in powerful wines.
This Trinity Hill wine is very rich and heavy, even for high-end wines. For those who like that, it's an irresistible taste.
But doing that all the time can be tiring. We also want to make wines that are easy to drink on an everyday basis. This new series, "Lost Garden," was born from that concept. It is named after a real garden located within the winery.
The lineup is designed to be easy to drink while still retaining strength (especially the Chardonnay and Syrah). The rosé in particular is easy to drink. I thought it would be great to have a wine like this for a casual wine gathering, such as one held in a garden.
Now, let's take a look at the taste and pairing examples for each bottle.
"New unique bottle available!!!"
Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2019
- Aroma hints: dried herbs, almonds, apricots
- Slightly dry
- Acidity = Medium (not too sharp)
New product for 2021. A Chardonnay with a rich flavor that takes advantage of the warm climate. Herbal flavor and dry aftertaste are impressive.
The full-bodied Chardonnay is perfect with pork dishes such as roast pork, and also goes well with fried foods like fish and chips.
"Cute yet dry Tsundere Rose"
Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Rosé 201
- Aroma hints: strawberry, lime, dried herbs
- Slightly dry
- Acidity = medium
- Astringency = gentleness
A beautiful salmon pink rosé. It has a light finish reminiscent of authentic southern French rosé, with a pleasant acidity and bitterness. It is very dry and goes well with food. I recommend drinking it well chilled.
In terms of the situation... I would definitely like to take it on a picnic or other outing. It goes very well with sandwiches, hamburgers, banh mi, etc.
"This bottle design for Syrah is rare."
Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Syrah 2019
- Aroma hints: prune, pepper, licorice
- Acidity: Mild
- Astringency: Medium
- Weight = Medium
I don't think there's any other Syrah bottled in this shape anywhere in the world!
Although it is dark in color, the tannins are mellow and the taste is well-balanced. You can also taste the spice that is unique to Syrah. I think it goes better on the palate if you chill it a little.
The perfect snack to go with this wine is grilled meat. It's a great wine to have at a BBQ. It also goes well with pork belly and spicy chili beans.
So, that's about it.
In terms of seasons, I think rosé is perfect for summer, Chardonnay for autumn, and Syrah for winter.
These three bottles are not too fruity and are perfect to pair with meals.We only have 10 sets in stock, so please feel free to get yours.
[Purchase link]
▼3-bottle set here▼ Dry and unique trio "Lost Garden"
▼Click here for single Chardonnay▼ Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2019
▼Click here for single rosé▼ Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Rosé 2019
▼Click here for Syrah alone▼ Trinity Hill Lost Garden Hawke's Bay Syrah 2019
But, I still think this visual is kind of cute. It's cute even while being aware of the discrepancy, so I want people to forgive it.
