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NEW NORMAL

but remains impersonal and can be frustrating
for some guests.
Do you estimate that the old system will
ever return in the gastronomy?
The phrase „The old system“ does not suit
me. That could mean „outdated.“ I prefer to say
„the period before COVID“ because it is part of
the foundation on which the future can boun-
ce back by eliminating what is outdated and
adding positive developments on the human
and economic level, taking into account the de-
mand of the generation after COVID! I compare
it to a family tree, there are roots, which give vi-
gor, there is the earth, life. This is fundamental
to evolution. Let‘s trust the future !!! ƅ
THOUGHTS FROM JAPAN

Wataru Iwata
Wataru, born in Nagoya, Japan, moved to New Zealand in
2013 and after spending three years in Auckland and one
year in Europe, he went back to Japan, and started to work in
a popular wine Bar, Cave de K, in Kyoto.
Iwata was awarded the Best Sommelier of Japan in 2017, and
also won Asia-Oceania ASI Best Sommelier Competition in
2018. He achieved 11th place in the ASI World Best Sommelier
2019. Iwata is now sommelier in a hotel “The Thousand Kyoto”
since October 2019.
Koshu, a pink-skinned grape originally ly, yet consumption has been increasing little
from the Caucasus, arrived in the Yamana- by little.
shi region roughly 1,000 years ago, but it is
not the main gastronomy beverage. How is
the position of wine in the Japanese gastro-
nomy, what kind of wines are offered in the
restaurants?
The position of wine, in general, is not as a
daily beverage as in Europe or U.S.A., for exam-
ple. However, drinking wine is getting com-
mon today thanks to the popularity of Europe-
an cuisines such as French and Italian where
wine is consumed a lot.
There are still few people drinking wine dai-
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