Hi and meet Diane Kanpai!

Discover Japanese wine — and everything you’ve been missing

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I’m Diane, and I specialize in Japanese wine.

Not as a trend, and not as something “different” for the sake of it—but as a real wine culture that most people in Europe still don’t fully understand.

If you work in wine—or simply love it—you’ve probably explored France, Italy, Spain… maybe a bit of the New World. It can feel like you already have a pretty good map of the wine world.

But there’s a part of that map that’s still largely invisible.

And that’s where I come in.

What I do

My role is simple: I help people understand Japanese wine.

Not in a complicated, technical way—but in a way that actually makes sense when you’re holding a glass in your hand.

Because right now, Japanese wine is often misunderstood. It can feel hard to find, difficult to navigate, and easy to dismiss—not because it lacks quality, but because no one has really taken the time to explain it clearly.

That’s what I focus on.

Through my content, tastings, and masterclasses, I break down what Japanese wine actually is, how it tastes, what makes it unique, and why it deserves a place in the global wine conversation.

Why this matters

Most people don’t feel like they’re missing anything when it comes to wine.

And that’s exactly the point.

We tend to believe we already know the important regions—the ones worth paying attention to. But the truth is, the wine world is much bigger than the places we keep talking about.

Some wine cultures remain almost invisible, not because they’re uninteresting, but because they haven’t been properly introduced.

Japan is one of the clearest examples of this.

And once you start understanding it, your perception of the wine world shifts.

My story

I didn’t start out as a Japanese wine specialist.

Like many people in France, I genuinely believed that the best wines came from here, and that the rest of the world was… interesting, maybe—but secondary.

That changed when I began studying wine.

During my WSET training, I started tasting wines from different countries more objectively. And for the first time, I realized something quite simple, but important: I liked them. Not in comparison to French wines, but for what they were.

That was the first shift.

Then Austria made that idea real. I arrived thinking it was mostly a beer country, and discovered a wine culture full of precision, character, and depth. It confirmed something I hadn’t fully understood before: great wine can come from places we don’t expect.

But the real turning point came later, in Japan.

At that point, I had already studied wine. I thought I knew the main wine-producing countries. And yet, I had no idea Japan made wine.

Finding it was surprisingly difficult. Understanding it even more so.

Until one day, after hours of searching, I ended up in a small wine bar. The owner didn’t speak English, and we communicated through Google Translate. She poured me a series of Japanese wines—wines with identity, with precision, with something I couldn’t quite place at first.

And I remember thinking: there’s something here.

It felt like discovering a secret.

Not because the wine didn’t exist—but because almost no one around me was talking about it.

When I came back, I tried to learn more. And that’s when I realized how hard it was to find clear, reliable information.

That’s when everything clicked.

Japanese wine doesn’t lack quality.
It lacks visibility.

And I decided I wanted to change that.

My approach

I don’t believe wine should feel intimidating or reserved for experts.

You don’t need to memorize regions or vocabulary before you’re allowed to enjoy it. You don’t need to “know more” before trying something new.

What matters most is curiosity.

Being open enough to taste something unfamiliar, to question what you think you know, and to discover wines outside your usual choices.

Because wine is not just about knowledge—it’s about experience.

What you’ll find here

At Diane Wine Voyage, I focus on making Japanese wine understandable, approachable, and genuinely interesting.

You’ll find clear explanations of grapes, regions, and styles, but also comparisons to wines you already know, so everything feels more intuitive. I share tastings, insights, and real experiences to help you not just learn about Japanese wine—but actually connect with it.

The goal is simple: to help you feel confident exploring it for yourself.

A quick note on credentials

I hold a WSET Level 2 certification with distinction and am currently preparing Level 3, along with a diploma from the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse.

But more importantly, I’ve spent time discovering wine on the ground—visiting vineyards, tasting locally, and experiencing wine cultures firsthand, especially in Japan.

My background in engineering also plays a role in how I work. It allows me to take complex information and turn it into something structured, clear, and easy to understand.

If you’re here, you’re probably curious

Maybe you’ve already heard about Japanese wine.
Maybe this is completely new to you.

Either way, if you feel like the wine world might be bigger than what we usually talk about—you’re in the right place.

If you’ve read this far, chances are you’re already curious.

Want to go further?

If you’d like to explore Japanese wine in a deeper, more structured way, you can join my newsletter.

I share insights, discoveries, and explanations to help you build a real understanding of this wine culture—step by step, and without overwhelm.