At the Hotel New Castle (TEL 0172-36-1211, Kamisashi-cho, Hirosaki-shi), on November 25, "The 2nd World Wine Tour, an evening of enjoying barrel-packed Beaujolais" was held.

The event where tasting of Beaujolais Village Nouveau and world wines packed in a winery owned by Pieroth Japan (Minato-ku, Tokyo). This was the second time in two years, and it was held in conjunction with the ban on Beaujolais. On the day, about 200 people enjoyed wine tasting and live jazz performances.

Junpei Kudo, who was in charge of the event sommelier, is from Hirakawa. The main store is located in France and has been working as a sommelier at the French restaurant “Tour D'Argent Tokyo” in Hotel New Otani, which has a history of about 400 years.

After graduating from high school, Kudo joined Hotel New Castle. I started studying wine with the idea that I want to acquire product knowledge properly because I have more opportunities to touch wine, and in 2012 (Heisei 24), the first Tohoku award (the highest award at the JSA Sommelier Scholarship) ). He moved to Tokyo the following year and continues to the present day.

"I participated in a wine event in Hirosaki for the first time in 3 years. I held a wine seminar last time. This time I am happy to be able to work with my old colleagues and seniors again," says Mr. Kudo. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Kudo, who took the stage, performed the Champagne Sergeage, and applauded from the visitors.

Mr. Kudo said, “I am glad that many customers enjoyed wine and food. The rich ingredients of Aomori go well with wine. I want to contribute not only to wine but to the development of sake and Aomori's food culture. I would like to go back to my work and make use of my experience in Tokyo."