All in Wine

New Voices — Winemaking in Hakodate, Hokkaido’s Emerging Wine Region

New Voices — Winemaking in Hakodate, Hokkaido’s Emerging Wine Region

Grace Laughlin
Wine, Travel

Five hours north of Tokyo and twenty degrees colder, I climb into a taxi in Hakodate City. My driver furrows his brow as I clumsily explain to him where I need to go. “No,” he says firmly. “There is no winery in Hakodate.” 

Panic sets in. My Japanese peaks at restaurant level and is certainly not sufficient for a pantomime of “oh no there isn't/oh yes there is” with a stubborn taxi driver. As I frantically scroll through emails, maps and screenshots in search of supporting evidence, he shrugs and starts the engine. Perhaps he's decided that, even if this proves a waste of both our time, he'll at least earn the smug satisfaction of being right.

Do You Play Flamenco? — Music, Dancing, and Sherry in Jerez’s Tabanco Bars

Do You Play Flamenco? — Music, Dancing, and Sherry in Jerez’s Tabanco Bars

Michael Fabro
Wine, Travel

In the early 20th century, a space between two narrow streets in the city centre of Jerez became a meeting place for local waiters and bartenders where they’d gather to drink sherry by the glass, purchase cigarettes, and take bottles of wine to go. José González Navarro, already in the hospitality business, saw an opportunity. On December 16th, 1925 he opened the doors of his new bar; he called it El Pasaje—The Passage—in reference to its entrances on either side. It is now considered the oldest tabanco, or traditional Andalucian tavern, still operating in Jerez.

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