The underground resource for great wines in Japan
Hotei Wines is a Japan based importer of premium wines, marketing directly to restaurants and wholesalers, and to individuals on a case only basis. 080419c. Current selections include Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Jordan, Flowers, Cline, Chateau Montelena, Rosenblum, Rafanelli, Havens, Saintsbury, Thackrey, Dashe, Cloudy Bay, Jaffurs, Lane Tanner, and Brander.
Single bottles of Hotei's best are now available from our online partners Wassy's and Takamura
Hotei says, "Come enjoy a day in the vineyards!"
Grand Hyatt Tokyo pre-Valentines luxury bash
[to sign up for party announcements and new release notices, please join the mailing list]
'02 Silver
Oak Alexander Cabernet has arrived!
Hotei is extremely pleased to announce the addition of Stag's Leap Wine
Cellars to our portfolio. Stag's Leap is the family-owned winery that shot
to fame after winning Steven Spurrior's famous Paris blind tasting competition
in 1976 (beating a number of first growth Bordeaux). They are best known
for Cabernets, in particular their Napa, SLV, Fay, and Cask 23 bottlings,
but they also make two very nice white wines that we are looking forward
to drinking this summer.
We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the following:
2002 Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Napa Chardonnay 2001 Artemis Cabernet 2001 Fay " 2001 SLV " 2001 Cask23 "
For pricing, please see our order form. We have also added two new Stag's Leap mixed cases to our list.
For more information on Stag's Leap, including technical sheets for each wine, please see our Stag's Leap announcement page.
The Ultimate Gift: Vertical Collections from our library
One of the pleasures (or some would say vices) of owning a wine company is being able to stash away a few bottles of each wine we import into the "library room" of our mountain warehouse. We've decided to tap into our reserves and release a limited number of vertical collections, covering either 3 or 6 consecutive vintages.
As serious collectors know, perfectly aged verticals are a rare find, and as tasters know, looking at the same wine over the course of many years can make for an extremely interesting and pleasant evening. All vertical cases will include -- in a sealed envelope -- Parker, Spectator, and Tanzer scores (where available). But be sure to taste the wines first and form your own opinions before checking which year(s) the reviewers thought best (we guarantee that you'll be surprised!). Give an incredible gift to a wine-loving friend, or treat yourself!
Old Hotei Newsletters
#15: 1999 vintage release notes
#16: Hotei adds three new wineries
from Santa Barbara!
Need wine advice?
As always, Hotei features great wines by the
case at wholesale prices, as well as preselected
mixed cases for everything from good-value party kits to high-end collectables.
Although most of our wines are highly covered (and highly rated) by the
Spectator, Parker, Tanzer, etc., if you're unfamiliar with some of the names,
or would just like to ask us for advice on anything from wine and food pairing
to what makes a good gift, please email office@hoteiwines.com
with your questions and we'd be happy to help.
Bruce Gutlove makes cover of WSJ!
Winemaker extraordinaire and Hotei friend Bruce Gutlove graced the cover
of the Wall Street Journal (Feb 10, 1998 US edition and Feb 11 Asian Wall
Street Journal), in a story about his exploits at Coco Farms. Click on his
picture for the story as it appeared on the Journal's web site, or, for
an Acrobat (pdf) copy of the original print story, please click here. Congrats Bruce! (Please note that for some unknown
technical reason the Acrobat file appears almost unreadable on the screen,
but will print perfectly).
About Hotei
Our patron saint, Hotei, is one of the seven lucky gods of Japan. He was
a plump, exuberant fellow, known for his unabashed "indulgences"
-- think of him, essentially, as the Japanese equivalent of Bacchus. The
Hotei Wines team is composed of a baker, a banker, a winemaker, a writer,
two bon vivants, and our mascot, the dachshund Basho, the original
party animal, who manages to be majestic and dignified on about three inches
of legs. Meet our crew and catch a glimpse of the philosophy and passion
for wine that led us to found Hotei Wines.
Hotei's Picks
Our choice of events, restaurants, destinations, art, and other hot stuff
that you should know about. Is there any place near Tokyo where you can
picnic in a vineyard? Where can you buy authentic antipasto in Japan? Looking
for a handmade wine decanter from a Sado Island glass artist? Need an excellent
caterer for a black-tie feast? How about a great masseuse? We're dedicated
to the pursuit of fine wines, and such precious resources-- in short, the
things that add quality to life in Japan. If we can't offer something ourselves,
we'll try to tell you about talented friends and colleagues who can.
Interview with a Winemaker
Unedited transcripts of wine writer Melanie Campbell-Drane's interviews
with winemakers and other emminent members of the wine world, including
Jean-Pierre Perrin of Chateau Beaucastel, Christian Seeley of Quinta do
Noval, David Hohnen of Cape Mentelle and Cloudy Bay, Paul Bowker of Christie's
and others. Also includes an archive of articles (both published and unpublished)
by members of the Hotei team.
What are the Japanese drinking?
Interesting story in the Japan Times about Japanese drinking patterns, written
by Hotei's Bill Campbell
Mailing
List
Join the Hotei e-mail list for occasional (about once a month) updates on wine
arrivals, wine events, and other goodies.
Ordering Wines
There are many ways to order wines from Hotei. This section explains which
wines we currently carry, and how to place your order via the web, e-mail,
phone, or fax. Shipping remains free to any destination in Japan!
Printing Tips
Look here for tips on optimum printing, both directly from the web and from
Acrobat.
Legal fine print
1. Hotei Wines KK is licensed for mailorder wine sales as of 2001.
2. Licensed address:
3-1-8 Shirogane
Minato-ku, Tokyo 108
tel: 03-5789-2728, fax: 03-5789-2729
3. Alcohol not for sale to those under 20 years of age
4. Maximum order is 24 x 750ml bottles
5. For information on producer names, catalog date, ordering instructions,
payment information, delivery and return policy, etc., please see the
most recent newsletter.