Enjoy exceptional wine in its place of origin. The joy of a wine trip

"I wanted to be someone who could choose wine." Making wine my job

OnTrip JAL Editorial Department (hereinafter referred to as JAL): First of all, please tell us about your daily work.

Jun Okamoto (hereinafter, Okamoto): I'm basically a magazine writer. I mainly write articles about food, such as interviewing restaurants and producers, or editing recipe books supervised by chefs. Among those, I write a lot of articles about alcohol, especially wine.

JAL: I hear you drink a lot of wine in your private time too. What made you get interested in wine?

Okamoto: I was originally interested in wine and went to many wine bars. However, even when the bars recommended wines, I couldn't find one that really appealed to me. So I wanted to become someone who could choose their own favorite wine.
At that time, I had a friend who was a teacher at a wine school, so I decided to go there too. I learned the basics about wine there. However, that didn't mean I was able to choose wine...

JAL: Oh, I see (laughs).

Okamoto: Yes (laughs). However, I did manage to understand the "differences" in the characteristics of each wine. I think the main reason for this is not so much because I studied at wine school, but because I was able to meet many fellow wine lovers there. We would get together with fellow wine lovers and exchange information, saying things like, "That wine is delicious," "Well, let's go drink that one next time," or, "If you like that wine, you'll probably like this one too." As I did this, I became more and more addicted to wine.

JAL: How did your love of wine in your personal life lead to your work?

Okamoto: I was originally working as a writer, but when editors would ask me for recommendations on places to eat good wine and food, I would give them advice, and gradually it led to more work, and before I knew it, I was something like a "writer who knows a lot about wine" (laughs).

Discovering the real taste for the first time: Why drink wine where it's produced?

JAL: Due to the nature of your job, do you do a lot of wine travel reporting?

Okamoto: That's right. I sometimes go on overnight trips to cover local shops and wineries for travel magazines. However, I've always loved "travel" and "wine," so I often go on "wine trips" to see wineries as a hobby.

JAL: What prompted you to start your "Wine Journey"?
Okamoto: In my case, I just want to go to the place and see it for myself. I'm the type of person who will go anywhere as long as I have the time. Looking back, the first time I went to a wine-producing region privately was also quite spontaneous. I saw a feature on Napa Valley in California in a magazine and impulsively thought, "I want to go!", so I called out to my friends around me. Then, there were quite a few people who wanted to go, so I said, "Okay, let's go!" (laughs).

JAL: That's impressive initiative (laughs). Napa Valley is world famous as a wine producing region. What was it like when you actually went there?

Okamoto: The actual Napa Valley has an entertaining atmosphere as a town, and it's a very enjoyable place for tourists to visit. Of course, I also visited the wineries, which was the main purpose of my trip. And as expected, the wine was incredibly delicious.

JAL: Does it taste different from what you drink in Japan?

Okamoto: It really is different. Wine stored in a winery's cellar is not moved, so it is well preserved and delicious. That's when I discovered the joy of "drinking wine in the place of production." You often hear that not only wine, but also sake, tastes best when you drink it in the place where it is produced, right? When I actually experienced it, I realized that this is true after all.

"Wine x Unexpected Food" - Unexpected Combinations to Discover on a Wine Trip

JAL: Please tell us about any other attractions unique to a wine trip besides visiting local wineries.
Okamoto: One of the attractions of a wine trip is that you can learn about local ways of drinking and pairing with food. However, if you just ask a wine producer, "What would be good to pair this wine with?", you'll probably only get a general answer. That's not very interesting, so in my case, I ask, "What do you eat with this wine at home?" This way, you can hear about unexpected food pairings that are not according to the theory of the wine, which is very interesting.

JAL: Were there any combinations that particularly surprised you?

Okamoto: There are a lot. For example, there is Zinfandel red wine, which is one of the most well-known grape varieties grown in Napa Valley. It has a fairly spicy taste, so I liked to drink it with hearty Chinese food. However, when I actually went to Napa Valley, I found that many locals were pairing it with Mexican food. This may have something to do with the fact that many of the winery staff are of Mexican descent. I actually tried it myself and it was a perfect match. It was truly a new discovery I made while I was there.

JAL: That's a discovery that you wouldn't have been able to make unless you went to the site.

Okamoto: Also, when I went to Spain, I learned that rosé wine and rice go well together. In Spain, many people pair paella with rosé wine. I tried it with pilaf, and it really went well with rosé wine. You can't make such discoveries unless you actually visit the place. I think the best part of a wine trip is discovering new ways to enjoy wine.

Travel to America with JAL Package