18.01.2020 (Hvino News) For the first time, a Georgian wine has appeared in the menu of Japan Airlines First Class Lounge. A premium qvevri white wine Shalauri Cellars Rkatsiteli 2018 was selected by Japan Airlines for its prestigious wine list offered to first class passengers.
Shalauri Rkatsiteli is produced in village Shalauri in Kakheti. Previously, the wine achieved high ratings: 89 points from Wine Enthusiast, and 88 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine.
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JAL First Class passengers enjoy specially selected wines from around the world, which are brought onboard by famous wine expert Kenichi Ohashi MW, and Motohiro Okoshi, a former sommelier who later became Japan’s first wine taster.
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Shalauri Rkatsiteli is also available online through JAL's online shop, as part of "Wine Course to Enjoy the World of wine", see photo on the right.
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| Georgian Shalauri wine displayed at JAL First Class Lounge at Narita airport, Japan |
"Orange wine ... Georgia wine. Unusual wine aged for a certain period of time in the soil ... rich in minerals ... A little jasmine tea aroma and taste. There are so many worlds we don't know yet ... I'm happy!" - commented a JAL passenger in his Instagram.
Kenichi Ohashi, who is the only Master of Wine in Japan, has been actively involved in popularization of Georgian wines in Japan. Mr. Ohashi's company Red Bridge is a contractor of National Wine Agency of Georgia. Red Bridge has been carrying out marketing activities on Georgian wine in Japan since 2017, in which Mr. Okoshi also participated.
Shalauri Rkatsiteli is also available online through JAL's online shop, as part of "Wine Course to Enjoy the World of wine", see photo on the right."Light-apricot in color, this wine offers a bouquet of Fuji apple and orange peel. It has flavors of clementine, orange, hazelnut, leather and smoke. Strong tannins are counterbalanced by bold acidity, and a finish marked by clementine and orange rind flavors leaves a pleasing tannic halo on the tongue and gums", - reads Wine Enthusiast's tasting notes on Shalauri Rkatsiteli my Mike Desimone.
For reference, here are some other white wines in JAL's First Class menu include:
- Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Domaine William Fèvre 2016
- Schiefer Riesling 2017
- Single Vineyard “HVD” Hunter Semillon 2013
- Aruga Branca Issehara 2016