This charming little bar offers something surprisingly rather uncommon in the city – all the alcohol comes from Japan. You can expect everything from sparkling rosé from Kyoto to chardonnay from Oita, gin from Gifu and rum from Okinawa.
The wine list by the glass includes three reds, three whites and one rosé, with options changing daily. By the bottle, there’s 20 to 30 varieties. If you’re looking for something to nibble on, Sanpine specialises in oden, a traditional Japanese-style stew, but also serves a range of snacks like cheeses, karasumi (cured cod roe), sausages, caviar and potato salad – all using domestic ingredients, of course.
Sanpine is just a five-minute walk from Ebisu Station; look for a sign with a tipsy polar bear and penguin, characters you may empathise with on leaving.