Wine Pairing: Chateau Musar Aana, Lebanon, 2019 (encore)

Not one but two white wines? In one episode? That’s a record, I think. It makes sense, given the theme – high mountains, the Alps, northern Europe. Of course the Fifth Apostle itself will almost surely wind up being a red as usual (if any white makes that cut I suspect it will be Chateau d’Yquem or none at all) – the mountain is only a metaphor in that sense. But we did get a (unnamed) cameo from Alois Lageder Am Sand Gewürztraminer (from the German-speaking part of Northern Italy) and an important appearance by Rippon “Mature Vine” Riesling from Central Otago in New Zealand – the southernmost wine region in the world.

Yutaka’s riddle this time is as advertised, a wine that’s a sometimes and beautiful and sometimes fierce mountain peak. Thus the Mt. Fuji locale, and wine Shizuku and Miyabi do “climb” it, that’s not what the old man was talking about (and not a real climb). Both Shizuku and Issei are convinced it’s the Matterhorn in Switzerland (which does produce great wine by the way, it’s just rarely exported). I assume the apostle is predictably something like Latour or one of the other Médoc Grands Crus Classés. But then, d’Yquem is the only Grand Premier Cru so if any white is going to be an apostle. this mountain peak theme may be the one.

What’s fun here is not that the brothers both decide to hit the Matterhorn – that’s inevitable – but the characteristically different ways they go about it. For Issei it’s first-class all the way, with a luxury villa and a pricey climbing guide (he’ll probably have Sherpas too). Shizuku flies coach and stays at a lodge, then shows up at the guide center expecting to be able to walk-in without a reservation. He does get lucky and meet his flight attendant, Maki, who offers to show him around to all the alternative options. She’s a bit of a wine otaku so he’s a celeb to her. Everyone turns him down until they get to the last name on the list, what looks like a modest Zermatt wine bar.

You know my rule – there’s no series that can’t be improved by adding Miki Shinichirou. He’s Andrew “Andy” Stalden, and while he dismisses Shizuku out of hand at first once he discovers who he is he gives him a shot – “Identify this wine’s origin and I’ll take you”. Shizuku fails, because this is probably the first Kiwi wine he’s ever tasted. But guessing it was non-European is close enough for Andy, who agrees to take him up the Matterhorn. That’s a lot more complicated than Fuji, with it’s crowded trails all the way to the top, but in-season with a licensed guide it can be done.

I did like that this episode didn’t make light of the dangers of climbing even popular mountains. Issei refusing a full day’s acclimatization and Shizuku demanding to go even when Andy says the weather is going to turn are the sorts of mistakes that generally get people killed on mountains – and it happens all the time. Andy eventually relents and agrees he’ll take Shizuku up the longer Western ascent, shielded from a front coming in from the East. But he insists that the minute he decides it’s too dangerous, they turn back without argument. If only paying clients lived up to those promises, but in reality they rarely do. When you get close, you want to press on – it’s like a fever. And sometimes a fatal one.