; "Kansai’s first Michelin-selected sommelier knows how to read a room")
Kansai’s first Michelin-selected sommelier knows how to read a room
Miki Tanaka says that a key part of her service as a sommelier is keeping a close eye on how her customers peruse and engage with the wine list when they first sit down at her restaurant. | EDWARD HEWES
Jul 19, 2026
Though Louise can seat 15 diners, owner and sommelier Miki Tanaka rarely accepts more than eight bookings at a time. The smaller service gives her room to do what she does best: quietly study her guests before recommending a wine.
From behind the French restaurant’s five-seat counter, Tanaka, 42, has the perfect vantage point to discern between wine novices and seasoned oenophiles. She watches how guests turn the pages of the wine list, whether they linger over a particular section or comment on an unfamiliar label. She observes how they hold their glasses, how they sip and how they respond to a wine term she uses. She even listens to how they pronounce the names of appellations on the menu.
“If they read out ‘Echezeaux,’ I know they are wine enthusiasts,” says Tanaka, referring to the Burgundy grand cru, pronounced ay-shuh-ZOH.
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