Hikaru Kobori

How I started drinking wine

I started drinking wine around 2018, when a senior colleague began taking me along to wine bars.

Back then, I genuinely understood nothing. I could barely pronounce the names on the list, and I left every order to my colleague. Even when a wine tasted good to me, I had no words to explain why.

Realising that knowing more made it better

Over time I began to notice how a pairing could change a wine's flavour, and how paying attention to aroma revealed things I had been missing. More than anything, learning the history of the place a wine came from made the very same glass taste completely different.

Knowledge wasn't what made wine difficult — it was what made wine more enjoyable. That realisation is why I decided to pursue the Wine Expert certification.

I failed twice

The first time, I failed the written exam. The reason was simple: I hadn't studied enough.

The second time, I passed the written stage and then failed the blind tasting. Sitting in front of the glass, I couldn't put what I was sensing into words.

I passed in 2023.

Looking back, though, those failing years were the best part. I could clearly feel myself getting better as I studied, and wine itself became more and more enjoyable along the way. Failing wasn't a detour.

What I drink now

I've been lucky enough to find friends who love wine too. Because of them I've been able to taste widely — from bottles I could never justify buying alone, to everyday casual wines, natural wines, and Japanese wines.

I've also started visiting wine regions: Nagano, Yamanashi and Hokkaido here in Japan, and Burgundy in 2025.

I'm not a professional

There's one thing I want to be clear about: I am not a wine professional.

The Japan Sommelier Association's "Sommelier" certification is for people working in the drinks industry. The "Wine Expert" certification I hold is for enthusiasts outside the trade. I've never worked in wine — I'm someone who drinks it because I love it.

But that's exactly why I think I can talk about wine at the same eye level as you.

The urge to close the wine list because you have no idea what to order, the hesitation before speaking to a sommelier, the times I stayed silent rather than risk looking like I was pretending to know — those are all recent enough memories for me. Everything I write on Vinami is written from that place.