Vineyards in Avize, Champagne
© Yuri Shima
Life is full of unexpected turns. When you devote yourself wholeheartedly to something, it opens new paths and perspectives—sometimes leading you in directions you never imagined. That has been my experience with wine.
I have been practicing law as an attorney, after a brief period in finance, for nearly twenty years, and I now also work in wine through writing and education, based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Tokyo. My legal studies and career have taken me around the world, including time spent in France and California, where I first discovered my passion for wine.
This is my first entry for Forbes (though I have contributed to Forbes Japan for more than eight years), and I would like to share how my journey into the world of wine began and what it has taught me along the way.
Why Wine Lovers Are Fascinated by Wine
Wine is more than just a drink. It is a sophisticated craft, built on the culture, history and tradition of the place where it is born, as well as the wisdom and experience of people behind it. When I taste wine, I often feel as if I am traveling through the region where it was made, imagining the hands and hearts behind each bottle. And when I taste an old bottle of wine, I can even feel as though I am traveling through time.
People sometimes use the word “terroir”, a sense of place expressed in wine. For me, it also includes the people whose hard work—and in many cases, generations of effort—bring the wine to life. This makes the wine unique and irreplicable. For example, “Champagne”, sparkling wine from France’s Champagne region is made from grapes grown on chalky soils with the techniques and experiences accumulated in the region and producers during its long history. These make the wine of Champagne distinctive and nothing alike, even though there might be something close to it.
This is perhaps why I first got fascinated by wine. My wine journey began when I moved to California for graduate studies in early 2000s. Living close to world-renowned wine regions such as Napa and Sonoma provided me easier access to local wines and producers. Visiting iconic estates like Robert Mondavi Winery, Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars sparked my interest not only in the wines themselves, but also in the stories behind these pioneering wineries that supported the early days of California wine.
Later, back in Tokyo, I took my first wine course at a wine school, Academie du Vin Tokyo in 2006, where I broadened my palate beyond California, discovering wine regions more globally. After many years, I now teach at this school as an educator, which I never imagined when I first learned about wine here.
Knowing A Wine’s Background Helps Deepen Your Appreciation
In 2012, I received an offer that gave me a chance to realize a long-held dream: contributing to solving policy issues in investment and trade at an international organization. The offer came from the OECD, which led me to move to Paris unexpectedly. All my family supported this decision, even though it meant working in a new environment while bringing my then-one-year-old daughter. I quickly grew to love living in France—culture, people, food and wine.
Working there also gave me a far better balance between work and life, and with generous annual leave and not much overtime work with a more predictable schedule, I was able to travel extensively—not only throughout France but also to Italy and Spain, home to some of the world’s greatest food and wine cultures. Champagne became my weekend destination, and Burgundy was where I spent long weekends. Through these trips, my interest in wine deepened. I came to realize that the best way to understand wine and its story is to visit the region on my own and speak directly with the producers to learn their philosophy.
Later in 2014 after moving from France to California (again) for family reasons, I decided to further pursue wine studies and signed up for the wine qualification course of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust in San Francisco. Through the WSET courses, I had many wine tasting trainings as well as theory studies, which became part of my daily schedule.
Wine tasting might be seen as intuitive or sensory, yet understanding the background of the wine, such as where it comes from or how it is made, and connecting those observations in the glass with the theoretical knowledge, is interesting and intellectual. For example, when I taste Chardonnay wine from a warmer wine region like California, I often find riper, stone or tropical fruits such as peach and pineapple, while Chardonnay from a cooler wine region tends to give citrus or green apple notes. I even found something in common between legal reasoning and the logical analysis of wine—both requiring careful observation, evidence and interpretation.
In addition to the WSET qualifications, I took the courses offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and frequently referred to the website Guide Somm, which provides broad yet detailed overviews of the wine regions across the world. For practical, immersive experience, I joined study trips organized by the Wine Scholar Guild. These trips are guided by the specialists in the area, such as Essi Avellan and Peter Liem in the case of Champagne, allowing participants to obtain up-to-date information and expert insights. For further tasting practice and knowledge-building, I also attended classes at San Francisco Wine School.
It Is Your Personal Journey To Explore Wine—It Can Make Life Richer And More Fulfilling
Wine is, above all, a personal experience. Everyone has their own way to enjoy it. You do not necessarily need any particular knowledge or reason; however, a little understanding of its story—the people, the place, the wine itself—can deepen your appreciation immeasurably.
What continues to fascinate me most is that learning about wine is an endless journey. The more I learn, the more I realize how much there is still more to discover: a humbling “knowledge of ignorance.” Throughout my wine journey, I have met many great people, inspiring producers and fellow enthusiasts, which is a treasure in my life. Among others, in my case, a pivotal part of my growth has come from the guidance of the mentor who has opened new doors and taught me not only about technical details and insights on wine, but also about professionalism, attitudes and visionary ways of thinking.
Through these direct conversations with producers and winemakers, I have come to appreciate more the depth of each story, and I have felt inspired to share these insights and to give back to those who have helped me with my wine studies and journey. This motivation led me to start writing about wine and offering seminars and talks as an educator.
Most importantly, wine brings people together, regardless of the background or origin. At times, it even reminds me of the international, diplomatic conferences where I once worked—people from different backgrounds gathering around a shared interest and exchanging ideas for a better outcome. The experience shared over a special bottle often enriches life and becomes a cherished lifetime memory. If you are a wine lover, you will likely have had such moments in your journey, too.
Yuri Shima
Photo by Hiroki Taguma
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/yurishima/2025/12/05/lessons-from-two-decades-of-wine-journeys/
