Sommelière 4

Reserved for Trinity BAKumA. Do not use without my permission.

Page 1
Dear Sister, TN: Just a reminder, she's not writing to her own sister, but rather to the nun.
Time flys when I'm in Tokyo, and it has already been one week since I arrived.
Thanks to the Mr. John Smith's help, the things I learned about brewery in the university,
And your teachings for loving mother nature, I am getting by somehow.
Although I'm still having trouble with some things...
If I try my best, then someday,

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I believe I will be able to meet Mr. John Smith.
Now that I think about it, it's almost Christmas.

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le vin #4: Sommelier Katase Jo

Page 4
SFX: The sound of snapping photos
Woman: Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Gondo.
Woman: This time, as part of the project called Gorgeous Night, to spend a luxurious night at an urban restaurant,
We ask you to evaluate one of them, and thought...

Page 5
Woman: Maybe this one would be good...
Picture: Omotesandou, L'espoir
Gondo: I see, L'espoir in Omotesandou.
Gondo: I heard that place used to be good.
Gondo: But you see...
Gondo: I am pretty picky.
Woman: Yes, I already know that...
You are more knowledgeable in the world of men's fashion.
Woman: That's why, you can speak however much you want...No, no,
It will be popular because you can make criticisms without holding back.
Gondo: That's true. After all, food is the frontier of all fashion.
Gondo: A restaurant is the place for men to show off their coordination abilities.
Gondo: If one were to drink at such a place...

Page 6
Gondo: It would have to be champagne.
Noda: Manager!
Noda: Mr. Gondo, the fashion critic, would like to feature us in a magazine...
Noda: So he would like us to think of a champagne to recommend for the Christmas season!
Jo: Magazine you say?
SFX: *Scratch*
Jo: Tell him no by saying that we're busy at the end of the year.

Page 7
Noda: W...well, that's true,
Noda: But he'll be featuring us...
Jo: Oi, part-timer.
Jo: I need to talk to you.

Page 8
Kana: Is it really alright for me to choose the champagne for our restaurant's menu?
Jo: Yeah.
Noda: Manager, to make a part-timer like her...
Jo: You know a lot about wines,
Jo: And you really like them, don't you?
Kana: ...Yes.
Kana: Wine is something very important to me.

Page 9
Jo(thought): Important...
Jo: In that case, you should probably cherish it inside that flat chest of yours.
Kana: !
Jo: So, what will you do?
Kana: Please let me choose the champagne.

Page 10
Jo: Although,
I hope the big-shot would be satisfied with the choice.
Kenichi: Good work today.

Page 11
Kana(thought): To pick a champagne that is both delicious and shocking...
Kenichi: Hey, part-timer, are you thinking of sleeping somewhere in the corner again today?
Kenichi: You're still a girl, aren't you?
Kana: ...
Kenichi: Part-timer!
Kana: Y-yes!?
SFX: *Bump*
Kana: A-aah!

Page 12
Kana: G...
Kana: Good work today...
Kenichi: Maybe...I'll treat you to some wine.
Since champagne is expensive, you probably haven't had much before.
Kenichi: Still,
Kenichi: To think that they let someone new make the choice...
Kenichi: For Mr. Katase,
Kenichi: Wine must not matter much anymore.

Page 13
Kana: ...
Kenichi: Here it is.

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SFX: *Fizz...*
Kenichi: It's been a while, Ms. Maki.
Kana: This wine bar specializes in champagnes, right?
That must be why it's called S.D.D.
Kenichi: Huh?
Kana: It's "soupir de dame" (a lady's sigh)...
Kana: The sound made when pulling out the cork.

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Maki: You are correct.
Kenichi(thought): I came here a lot but I didn't know...
Maki: Will you be having some champagne?
Kana: Yes, um...
Kana: Not some from major makers,
Kana: But made by people who grow their own grapes, and brewed in small scales.
Maki: RM, I see. TN: RM = Recoltat Manipulant
Because the characteristics of the maker shows through, it is very popular even here in Japan.
*Negociant Manipulant, on the other hand, are makers that purchase the grapes from farmers. Famous brewers like Moet & Chandon and Veuve-Clicquot mostly belong in this category.
Maki: In the same class, they are slightly cheaper than the big-labels as well.
Kana: Yes.
If I can try them in glasses, I would like the next four to be...

Page 16
Kana: J. Lassalle,
Kana: Pierre Gimonnet,
Kana: Egly-Ouriet,
Kana: And Villemart.
Maki: Who...is she?
Kenichi: A part-timer at our place, who's strangely knowledgable about wine.

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Kana(thought): All of them are wonderful with their own characteristics.
Kana(thought): But...
Kana(thought): It feels a bit too obvious.
Kana: Sigh~~~
Kana: What should I do?
Maki: There is also a risk with the vintage champagne from small farms.
That is, the tasting would be difficult.

Page 18
Maki: But there was one single person here in the past,
Who was a sommelier, and he would be correct in almost all champagne blind tastings.
Kenichi: Could you be talking about...
Maki: Yes.
Maki: Katase Jo.
Maki: He used to be such a genius.
Kana: Used to be?
Kana: Is he different now?

Page 19
Maki: Talent is polished by hard work.
But once the passion is lost, it will be hard to get it back.
Maki: That is not unlike love I believe.
Maki: Wouldn't you agree, miss?
Kana: L...love...?
Kana: I don't have much experience in that area...
Maki: Seems like it.
Kenichi: Huh...?
Kenichi: Wh...what are you saying!
Maki: Ufufu.
Kenichi: Ms. Maki!
Kana(thought): What should I pick...

Page 20
Text: A few days later---
Jo: We would like you to check the champagne chosen by my staff.
Kana: Please enlighten us.
Gondo: You, keep in mind that wine is a fashion item,
So choose with care.
Kana: Fashion item...
Sir?
Jo(thought): ...

Page 21
Jo: I'll have some too.
Kana: ...Alright.
Jo(thought): ...!

Page 22
Jo: I also have a glass,
That I would like you to try. Is that alright?
Kana(thought): Huh?
Gondo: Then I'll start with the one your staff chose...
Gondo: Hm...
Gondo: This tastes decent...
What is it?

Page 23
Kana: It is a British sparkling wine.
Kana: The name is...
Gondo: Huh~~~?
*Sparkling wines are made in Champagne, an area in northern France. Because of the name of the place of origin, the variety of grapes, the location and means of cultivation, and method of brewing are all regulated.
Gondo: Sparkling...
And from England you say?
Gondo: Made by people with the worst sense of taste in the world...
Gondo: Don't try to make me drink this crap~~~
Gondo: What kind of people would want it during Christmas time~~~

Page 24
Gondo: Hmph! It seems like you don't understand what wine is!
Kana: ...
Gondo: If you want to become a real sommeliere, go study more.
Kana: ...Yes, sir.
Gondo: And what has the manager chosen?
Jo: It's Veuve-Clicquot Demi Sec.
Kana: !

Page 25
Gondo: It's the well-known Veuve-Clicquot, I see. I thought so.
Ms. Staffer, did you know?
Gondo: They have this saying in Champagne. TN: Champagne as in the place.
Gondo: There are two hundred million stars in a champagne glass.
Gondo: ...How beautiful.
Gondo: As a woman drinks more, she will be drunk on the champagne and the night.
Gondo: The increase in the number of glasses also means getting closer to the bed...
Gondo: Champagne is that kind of drink.
Gondo: If you are a woman, you should know~~ Hm?

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Kana: It's true that Veuve-Clicquot is wonderful as well, but...
If you just take one more sip of mine...
Jo: Stop. He doesn't understand the flavor of this wine.
Gondo: Hm?
Jo: A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot.
Jo: The rich aroma of Brioche and the flavor of roasted nuts.
*Brioche is a kind of pastry, made with butter and eggs, among other ingredients.

Page 27
Jo: A wonderful fragrance like that of Dom Perignon.
The very fine bubbles.
Jo: And despite all that, a thick body. TN: He means that the wine is thick.
Jo: Nyetimber Classic Cuvee, Vintage 1998.
Kana: !
Jo: Probably no one would think this wonderful sparkling wine came from England.
Jo: Nyetimber (new timbered building),
The birth of an ironic miracle.

Page 28
Box: The cold climate there was unfit for the cultivation of such high grade grapes.
However, the temperature rose due to global warming.
Box: As a result, across the water from Champagne in southern England, where the soil is also rich in lime, enough wine is made to potentially jeopardize their neighbor. TN: Lime neutralizes the acid present in the soil.
Kana: Y-yes, it's just as he says.
Jo: A miraculous flavor.
Jo: However...
Jo: Are you trying to make the Christmas guests study geography?
Jo: Especially those who are like this man here...
Gondo: Wha...

Page 29
Jo: To you, wine with your out-of-date watch and the poorly chosen outfit...
Together, they form your fashion sense, right?
Gondo: Why you~~~~~!!
Jo: Wine is fashion.
Jo: In that case, good flavor is the most important. That's also correct.
Jo: But only so if one has bad tastes like a certain someone.

Page 30
Gondo: Don't think you can get away with treating me like that!
Woman: Sir~~~
Jo: Might as well say that it is a beloved drink of the Queen, and served even in royal family parties.
In this year's International Wine and Spirits Contest, it won the highest award for the sparkling wine category.
Jo: If I told him all that, he may choose this one instead out of excitement.
Kana: ...
Jo: Do you understand, part-timer?
Jo: The reason why that big-shot chose the wine I recommended.

Page 31
Jo: You were only looking at the wine.
But I was looking at the person who will drink it.
Jo: ...That's the difference.
Kana: Then please tell me something.
Kana: You are knowledgeable about wine, skilled at tasting,
Kana: And above all, have the ability to see through customers...I think it's amazing.
Kana: Then why, Mr. Katase?

Page 32
Kana: To me, it appears as if you hate wine.
Jo: If you ask, then the world will answer everything.
Jo: Only a child would think that way.

Page 33
Text: Next day---
Kenichi: Even though you went through the trouble of choosing one, he didn't pick it huh.
Kana: ...
Kenichi: But I'm...
Really happy today.
Kenichi: It's been a long time since Mr. Katase last stepped out onto the floor.

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Jo: It's not on the menu, but we have an interesting sparkling wine picked by my staff.
Kana: ...!!

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Man: Wonderful!
Man: So there are still such amazing wine in the world.

Notes:
A light golden color, with tiny connected air bubbles rising to the top and never running out.
It has the fragrance of lemon found in Chardonnay, and the fragrance of Brioche from the secondary fermentation within the bottle after six years. Also contains the flavors of honey and nuts, which makes it complex. It's dry, but the taste is rich.

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Nyetimber Classic Cuvee
Along the outer edge of the valleys around Paris, there is a long strip of soil containing lime and fossils of oyster shells from the late Jurassic period. This layer of soil classified into Kimmeridgian by geologists is superior at water retention and drainage, and thus is used for grape cultivation. Staring from the east, the famous areas of production, Champagne, Chablis, Pouilly Fume, and Sancerre lie on the strip of land.
Because the British Isles was a part of Eurasia before the movement of earth's crust, Kimmeridgian soil also extended to southern England. The field of Nyetimber is situated on the western end, and cultivates the same kind of grapes as Champagne. According to the visiting brewers from Champagne, even they were shocked by the quality of the sparkling wine made in the area.
After Nyetimber became famous in 1996, concerned with global warming, brewers in Champagne began to gather together and invest in southern England.
Classic Cuvee 1998 vintage is 60% Chardonnay, 22% Pinot Noir, and 18% Pinot Meunier. The taste reminds one of Champagne's Dom Perignon, with its elegant style.

(1998 vintage in the photograph, 750ml, imported by Wine Shop Nishimura [Hyogo prefecture, city of Sumoto]. Priced at 5600 yen on Rakuten.)