A few months back, I was up in Yoichi, Hokkaido, to lend a hand with the annual grape harvest. One evening, I found myself at Gangara, an izakaya (traditional Japanese pub) known for its selection of local wine sold only by the bottle. I was dining solo and didn’t quite have it in me to polish off a whole bottle, so as I was about to leave, I offered what was left to a nearby table, and one of the diners was kind enough to offer me a glass of something in return.

As we got to chatting, I realized he was none other than Toru Takamatsu, who, at 24, became the youngest-ever master sommelier — the highest certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) — and the first Japanese person to achieve that rank.

The following day, I saw Takamatsu, now 28, in his element at the renowned Domaine Takahiko winery, where he is currently learning the craft of winemaking. This got me thinking: Why would a master sommelier make the move from working the floors of Michelin-starred restaurants, and the salary that commands, to the hands-on life of an apprentice winemaker? And why pick Yoichi of all places?

“One of the biggest reasons is I like Takahiko’s wine,” Takamatsu later tells me over a video chat. “It’s difficult to explain. For me, Nana Tsu Mori (Domaine Takahiko’s flagship wine) wasn’t exactly a ‘Wow!’ wine. It was more like tasting something from back home, while in a different country. Like, if you go to Africa or wherever, and have your usual Vegemite toast or something.”

Takamatsu was born in Sydney, Australia, where his bicultural upbringing shaped his perspective on taste and culture.

“Growing up in a traditional Japanese family, we had miso soup daily,” he says. “For me, drinking Nana Tsu Mori felt like going to London and drinking miso soup. That’s how I felt when I first drank it at La Pioche in Tokyo, in 2017.”

Eventually, the impact of that umami-rich wine would inspire Takamatsu to move to Hokkaido in 2021 and pursue a path in winemaking alongside Domaine Takahiko founder Takahiko Soga, but at the time he was still studying to be a sommelier.

Toru Takamatsu was born in Sydney, Australia, where his bicultural upbringing shaped his perspective on taste and culture. | COURTESY OF TORU TAKAMATSU

Takamatsu grew up in a family passionate about food. His father is a chef, and Takamatsu started his own career in hospitality at 15 in a cafe owned by his dad. At 19, he became interested in wine when he saw similarities in the nuances of both coffee and wine appreciation.

Wine became his passion and, inspired by a sommelier friend, he set himself the goal of reaching the level of master sommelier, a certification he felt would allow him to work anywhere.

Takamatsu had his work cut out for him. The master sommelier exam is notorious as the world’s toughest sommelier certification, boasting a mere 5% pass rate. Since its inception in 1969, only 273 professionals have conquered it.

Despite the odds, the young Takamatsu was determined.

“If I was going to be a sommelier, I wanted to do it until the end.”

The path to master sommelier certification involves four rigorous and mandatory stages instituted by the CMS: introductory, certified, advanced and the final master level.

The first experience of drinking Domaine Takahiko’s umami-rich wine would inspire Takamatsu to move to Hokkaido in 2021. | COURTESY OF TORU TAKAMATSU

While studying for the first two levels, Takamatsu worked as a runner at the renowned Rockpool Bar and Grill in Sydney. When he passed his exams, he was offered the position of junior sommelier at Eleven Bridge, another restaurant in the Rockpool group, and was well on his way to his goal. At the age of 22, Takamatsu had also cleared the advanced level.

The final stage, however, was harder to access. The master exam is invitation-only and held exclusively in the United Kingdom or the United States, with a tight annual quota on test takers. Undeterred, Takamatsu signed up immediately after passing the advanced level and decided in early 2018 to move to London — despite not knowing whether he’d be invited to take the exam or not.

Just before departing in February 2018, the coveted invitation arrived.

While waiting to take the exam, Takamatsu worked and sharpened his skills at the Michelin-starred Hide. Owned by Hedonism Wines, the restaurant has an extensive list of over 7,000 bottles, and its wine director is a master sommelier.

In October 2018, Takamatsu passed the theory and practical sections of the three-part master exam but failed his first attempt at the blind-tasting section. The following August, he gave it another go and triumphed, becoming the youngest master sommelier in history.

“I never thought I’d get it in just four years,” Takamatsu says. “I thought it would take longer, possibly ages!”

For Takamatsu, the focus is to make wines in Japan from international varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zweigelt. | COURTESY OF TORU TAKAMATSU

With the letters “MS” now displayed after his name, Takamatsu’s aim was to return home and work at a Sydney restaurant. He joined Mimi’s at Coogee Beach, a luxurious new project by Sydney restaurant tsar Justin Hemmes. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit — dining establishments across the country were forced to close, and Takamatsu was stuck home in lockdown.

Like many of us, he began contemplating his future. Alongside studying for a master of wine (MW) certification (another prestigious credential testing theoretical knowledge alongside the business side of wine), Takamatsu began pondering his larger goals in the world of wine.

“I thought, ‘What am I going to do with that?’ I could keep working as a (sommelier), but if I pass my ‘MW,’ what’s my goal after that? What should I be doing in 10 years? And winemaking was something I really wanted to do.”

Recalling that first taste of Nana Tsu Mori back in 2017, he decided it was exactly the sort of wine he wanted to make, describing it as rich in flavors of dashi and umami, embodying the essence of Japan’s terroir.

“I’d read about Takahiko Soga and knew his vision,” Takamatsu says of the wine’s maker. “He only grows Pinot Noir and has a very small vineyard. Everything is family-operated. I’m the kind of person who likes to do everything by myself, too. So, I think my vision is similar to his, and it’s rare to find that sort of connection — when everything fits, and it’s someone who is actually making a wine you like.

“I think if I was going to work anywhere, it was going to be with him. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have moved into this world.”

Takamatsu says that before calling Soga for a chat, he had always considered starting his own winery a prohibitively expensive dream.

“When I talked to Takahiko, he said, ‘You know, you can probably do it for only ¥10 million (about $70,000) if you really want to.’”

Takamatsu, then 25, felt the timing was right to embrace a new start. He admits it was difficult to give up a six-figure master sommelier’s salary to become an apprentice but says he was ready to “take a risk.” In March 2021, he moved to Hokkaido, where he joined Soga’s team as part of Yoichi’s Regional Revitalization initiative, a program designed to spur growth in the town’s agriculture industry.

Alongside his apprenticeship at Domaine Takahiko, Takamatsu is an ambassador of sorts charged with promoting the Yoichi region’s wine. | COURTESY OF TORU TAKAMATSU

“Obviously Takahiko wants the town of Yoichi to be better known for wine,” Takamatsu says. “That’s why when he talks to potential apprentices, he will say, ‘You know, you’ve got to start a winery in this town. Otherwise, I’m never going to take you on board.’ So, apprentices do two years with Takahiko and in the third year, they start their own winery. The guys behind Domaine Mont and Domaine Atsushi Suzuki, among others, were on that scheme.”

Originally, Takamatsu envisioned the same, but his plans evolved as Yoichi’s mayoral office recognized his potential to promote local wines globally. Now, alongside his apprenticeship at Domaine Takahiko, Takamatsu is an ambassador of sorts charged with promoting the region’s wine.

The future may indeed be bright for Yoichi. Takamatsu notes that when Soga established Domaine Takahiko in 2010, there was only one other winery in the town.

“Now we’ve got 17,” he says. “I think there’s going to be more next year. There’s still a lot of room for microwineries.”

The hope, as Takamatsu sees it, is for these small wineries to thrive, cultivating a unique identity for Yoichi’s wine culture distinct from that of major Japanese wine companies.

“The wines of Hokkaido are not really known internationally right now,” he says. “I mean, we don’t really have an image of Hokkaido wines yet. If you talk about the wines of Japan, people will say it’s (domestic varieties) Koshu or Muscat Bailey-A. But that’s Yamanashi.”

For Takamatsu and his peers at Domaine Takahiko, the focus is to make wines from international varieties such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zweigelt. They also want to encourage low-intervention viticulture and winemaking, with Takamatsu explaining that the majority of Yoichi’s wineries are interfering as little as possible to preserve the natural essence of their grapes and wine.

Takamatsu is optimistic that this approach to winemaking and choice of varieties will be what differentiates the wines of Hokkaido from the rest of Japan. Ideally, this will give the region the international recognition he argues it deserves.

“When we start making the right wines and exporting to the right people,” Takamatsu says, “I believe we can establish a distinct reputation for Hokkaido and Yoichi wines. And that’s my job.”

Source

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2024/01/21/food-drink/toru-takamatsu-wine-sommelier/