Komorebino Natural Wine Bar is a wine bar in Gion, Kyoto.
Komorebino in Gion's Hanami Kaikan pours 200 carefully chosen natural wines from Japan, France and Italy with a list rotating to 24 seasonal Japanese terms.
Food program: Small plates pairing with seasonal Japanese ingredients
Tip: Counter seating with the sommelier is the only way to taste the off-list Japanese bottles; reserve a week ahead.
Address: 123 Tominagacho, Higashiyama-ku, Hanami Kaikan 1F, Kyoto 605-0078
Israeli-born Yoram Ofer's koshu sake bar in a Nakagyo machiya in Kyoto. The most-cited aged-sake list in the country, served at a six-seat counter.
Signature pour: Five-glass koshu flight
Wine focus: Aged sake (koshu) and growers' sake
Food: Snack-only sake pairings
Yoramu in Nakagyo in Kyoto is Yoram Ofer's eight-seat aged-sake counter, koshu flights from across Japan, small Israeli-Japanese plates, a hidden alley find.
Signature pour: Three-koshu tasting flight
Wine focus: Aged sake (koshu) and small-batch nihonshu
Food: Small Japanese plates
Tip: Reserve by phone; the koshu flight changes weekly. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.