Washington Wine Month Recap- from guest blogger Jan N. from Orca International

Washington Wine Month has gotta be the next best thing to sliced bread.

Every March, winemakers from the hottest wine region in the world (that’s Washington, for those of you who want to be ‘in the know’) flock to Tokyo to take part in Japan’s nationwide ‘by the glass’ Washington wine promotion, hosting wine parties, elegant wine dinners and meeting as many wine lovers here as they can.

Washington Wine Month 2006 was spectacular! 155 restaurants across Japan poured hundreds of thousands of glasses of wine, hosted many events and spread the word that ‘Washington wine is here!’

The highlight of March was the Washington Wine Month Kick-off Party at Fujimamas on March 8^th. Fujimamas hosted winemakers Charles Smith of K Vintners and Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars, over 100 guests and great tunes from Samurai FM. Orca International staff poured over 50 Washington wines, Fujimamas chefs created a delicious dinner buffet and I didn’t see a grumpy face in the bunch!

Orca International and Fujimamas have been teaming up over the past few years not only to bring everyone fun events and delicious dinners, but also to share the most well known secret about Washington wine… it goes great with food! Not only that, but the wines are fabulous from year to year.

Bob (Parker) says of Washington State:
‘It has arrived.’ Robert Parker’s partner in crime, Pierre-Antoine Rovani, recently gave a speech after touring Washington. Here’s what he had to say:

‘So what are (Washington’s) best varietals? Well, Syrah for sure. But Cabernet is the way to go for you in Washington. You can produce better Cab than any place in the world. I really believe that. Merlot. You certainly beat the pants off California and it will continue.’

Next time you see a Washington wine, Washington Wine Month or not, give it a try and discover what Fujimamas has known all along…

Add comment April 26th, 2006

From food writer Andrea Strong

DINING FOR DARFUR UPDATE from The Strong Buzz

On Sunday April 30th, please don’t forget Dining for Darfur! Participating restaurants have pledged to donate 5% of sales for that night to the International Rescue Committee’s humanitarian work in Darfur and neighboring Chad, where the killings by the Janjaweed have escalated in recent weeks. For more information on what you can do to help and to learn more about the situation in Darfur, please visit DiningforDarfur.org and www.savedarfur.org.

This week the list of participating restaurants continues to grow!

I’d like to thank Slow Food (www.slowfood.org) and Open Table (www.opentable.com) for generously promoting Dining for Darfur in their newsletter emails.

I am very pleased to report that we have already raised $3000 for Dining for Darfur! This is an incredible amount, especially considering we have just started the campaign, and I am so grateful to all who have already contributed. Let’s keep it going. Click here https://secure.ga3.org/03/diningfordarfur/ to donate to Dining for Darfur. Thanks to the sponsorship of Michelin Travel Publications, those who donate $50 or more will receive a free copy of the 2006 Michelin Guide.

“This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century,� said Eli Wiesel: “Solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others.�

Fujimamas is participating in Dining for Darfur, Please make your reservation for dinner on 4/30 by emailing us at info@fujimamas.com or calling at 03-5485-2262

Add comment April 10th, 2006