In this entry to our 2023 wine writing competition, sommelier Hikaru Takahashi writes about Shu Komatsu, a Japanese wine-bar owner who began Hikaru's wine journey. See our WWC23 guide for more.
Hikaru Takahashi writes I’m 28 years old. I was born and raised in Japan, and followed a university education in environmental sciences at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and completed with a master’s degree. My interest of wine already showed itself in my university days, and I attained a wine expert certificate of the Japanese Sommelier Association. This was followed by the sommelier certificate later, and was also included in the finalists of the Japanese Young Sommelier Competition for the two years I participated. Now I am working on the WSET diploma to enhance my skills in the international market. After working for a Japanese wine importer, I am now based in Germany and preparing to establish my own wine importing company.
My favourite wine person is the owner of a wine bar in Japan.
One night in August 2015, I was standing in front of Westminster Abbey in London, mesmerised. My grandfather had spent part of his life as a researcher there and I had developed a longing for it, hearing stories about the country he had loved form a young age on. It was the first time for me to visit Great Britain, and the iconic view of Westminster Abbey brought up a whirlwind of emotions in the 20 year-old me, who had been enthralled by British music and culture. After two hours of standing and gazing in awe, I decided to celebrate this special moment also with something special - a bottle of wine, instead of the beer I was used to drinking back then.
Even after returning to Japan, my mind was forever stuck in London. Every spare minute I had, I was recollecting the experience in London and it seemed like the longing had become stronger. I started looking for the “Westminster wine”, which was a mission near too impossible with my limited knowledge of and the vast number of wines out there. Desperate, I decided to visit a wine bar nearby, hoping to find some clues. Retrospectively, a 20 year old youngster must have stuck out in a posh wine bar. When I was feebly trying to decipher the menu at the counter of my first wine bar, the owner, whom I later was to find out to be Shu Komatsu, approached me. As expected, the “Westminster wine” was not on the list, but he listened carefully to my far-from-professional description, and suggested a wine with a similar taste to the one I had in London. Impressed by this ability of his, I started being interested in the wine bar, which was called “Yu-Me (dream in Japanese)”. That`s when Shu asked me, 'Are you interested in wine? If you want to learn more, why don't you work here?
Working at Yu-Me did not only give me the opportunity to learn about wine, it`s flavour, history and stories of the producers, but also brought me in contact with the passion and personal stories of many wine lovers. I was working part-time for four years during my bachelors and masters of a university programme in environmental sciences. Although slightly sleep-deprived, I was happy with my life; starting the day with university courses and ending it working at the wine-bar. Then came the time where I had to decide my career path. In Japan, many students start job hunting around the same time, and after graduating from university, most of them start their working career as members of society at the same time. I was no exception. At the beginning of university, I wanted to become a researcher like my grandfather, but by the time I started job search, I had been captivated by the mystery of wine and its ability to continuously fascinate so many people. When I confessed to Shu about my plans to pursue a career in wine after my masters, he just chuckled and said "It's hard to make money in the wine industry, are you sure that it’s really what you want to do?"
Shu's work was always professional. He had very high standards for his food and wine, which was respected and strived to achieve by the whole staff. His perfectionism was also reflected in the restaurants interior and music. Inspired by Napa, California, the interior of Yu-Me was elegant yet warm, giving you the feeling that you were escaping from the busy-everyday life. The music was quiet and pleasant, making you think it was selected exquisitely to match the wine. In every detail, you could feel Shu’s, thoughtfulness, love and hospitality. He also possessed an extraordinary wakeful eye for the customers and their individual needs. I was always amazed by his broad view, the incredible speed and precision with which he anticipated each customer’s needs and wishes and fulfilled them. This professionalism of his was a constant example for me. He also had an extraordinary sense for providing just the right amount of engagement for each customer: some preferred to have a quiet and private evening, while others came to talk and discuss with Shu and the staff of Yu-Me or with other well-known faces, enjoying a shared evening over excellent wine. Shu most naturally provided the environment each person wished for, creating a large fan base and Yu-Me was always full of regular customers. This combination of a comfortable space and relaxing time seemed to sublimate the wine into something more special.
After completing my master's degree, I started working at a Japanese wine importer. Keeping Shu’s spirit of hospitality in mind, I was excited to start a new career, ready to test myself in the world of wine. After working the first six months in a shop – so to say the “sales front” of the company, I was assigned to a department responsible for the purchase of the company, deciding which wines to import as well as finding new wines. Besides of importing wine to Japan, the company also had six subsidiaries in other parts of Asia, which I was put in charge of. Thanks to the spirit of hospitality I learnt from Shu, I was able to build up a good relationship not only with customers, but also with wine producers and within the company across borders. However, not everything always goes smoothly in a new working environment and not least the Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the whole gastronomic industry as well as on the individual workers. Whenever I felt exhausted or was facing a difficult situation or a challenge, I found myself back in Yu-Me, and every time Shu managed to recharge my battery and motivated me to continue perusing my goals, with selected wine, food and the soothing environment, he had so lovingly created. To further develop myself in the wine industry, I attained qualifications as a sommelier as well as WSET qualifications and took part in the Japanese Young Sommelier Competition. I still remember how nervous and tense I was during the public finals of the competition, but when I spotted Shu and well-known faces of the regular customers of Yu-Me, I was able to relax and give a natural and professional performance, just as I had seen and done so often while working at Yu-Me.
After three and a half years of working at the Japanese wine importer, I resigned and shifted my base to Europe to start a new step in my wine career last year. Shu was happy to hear my decision and gave me his full support as always, “Whenever you come back to Japan, you know where to find us.” he smiled. The 20 year-old, who sat at the counter of Yu-Me for the first time, is 28 now. As much as I wish and will try to return this gratitude to him, the words he once said are still in my mind. “Gratitude is not something you return, you give it to the next generation- so don’t repay me, give it on to someone else.” So I guess Shu will be the happiest when someday, I become the “Favourite Wine Person” of somebody.
The photograph is the author's own.