In Ginza, Tokyo, the Madeira Entrada is a bar that opened in 2015 offering over 200 types of Madeira wine and live Portuguese fado music. Its mission is to introduce Japanese patrons to the flavours of this Atlantic island's famous drink.
The bar's goal is to enter the world of this historic wine, as its name suggests. On its website, the Madeira Entrada describes itself as ‘the largest source of information about Madeira in Japan’, with wines served by the glass ranging ‘from 3 years old to 1850’. Here, you can taste Portuguese delicacies such as cheeses and sweets to accompany the wines.
The person responsible for this idea was Yasumitsu Kinoshita, the businessman who decided to bring Barbeito wines to Japan and who is currently Director and Chairman of the General Assembly of this Madeiran family business. On his 70th birthday, he received a special bottle as a gift, which is on display at the Madeira Entrada, a gesture that honours his work and vision in promoting Madeira Wine, says Chihiro Hieda, the Japanese manager of Madeira Japan, the company that owns the bar. ‘Mr Yasumitsu Kinoshita knew it would be difficult to introduce this drink to the Japanese market and wanted to take on that task,’ she says.
Chihiro Hieda explains that the drink ‘goes exceptionally well with Japanese cuisine’. This synergy is one of its ‘greatest strengths’, and the aim is to expand the concept of the establishment so that people can ‘discover and appreciate the charm of Madeira wine’.
The Madeira Entrada stands out for its ‘relaxed and accessible’ atmosphere, and customers are surprised to taste wines that are ‘100 or 150 years old and still have body, vitality and intensity, without losing their sparkle over time.’
‘The bar manager has a deep knowledge of the subject and explains everything about this universe to our visitors. Our menu is clear and easy to understand. We also offer a selection of Portuguese wines, which makes this space a true meeting point with the essence of Portugal,’ emphasises Chihiro Hieda. The menu allows you to discover different producers and grape varieties, in order to explore the diversity of Madeira.
Madeira Entrada also stands out for having created a unique combination of Madeira and whisky. "After bottling Barbeito's Madeira wine, we sent the empty barrels to the Kanosuke Distillery in Japan, where they are used to age whisky. It is rare to be able to taste the original wine, and, at the same time, the whisky finished in the same barrel. These are two drinks with different histories, united by a single cask."
Consumers in general ‘are offered a set of tastings that allows them to compare different styles of Madeira wine, usually by grape variety: Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia, by ageing period and by producer.’
‘We also have food pairings that show how Madeira wine goes extraordinarily well with Japanese ingredients. For sommeliers and bartenders interested in introducing Madeira into their restaurants and bars, we offer private tastings outside of opening hours, almost like a showroom,’ emphasises Chihiro Hieda.
Madeira wine enthusiasts are the ones who visit the bar the most and tell their friends about it, who then become regular customers.
"We also welcome people who discover the bar at events promoting Madeira wine, such as the Tokyo International Bar Show, attended by spirits and cigar lovers. As the bar has a retail licence, many customers visit the space specifically to buy Madeira wine."
In short, Madeira Entrada is an experience for both Madeira wine novices and connoisseurs. The premise is simple: to celebrate ‘a good life with good wine’.
