Wataru Iwata

Coming Up

Training at Doshisha University gave Wataru Iwata the academic base, but the decisive apprenticeship was on the floor at Cave de K in Kyoto, Japan, from 2018. Sommelier work at that stage is about building the habits that hold service together: accuracy under pressure, recall, timing, and the ability to keep tasting without flattening into routine. For a young sommelier, those are the years that turn tasting into a working language. Since 2019, Wataru has served as Chief Sommelier of THE THOUSAND KYOTO, and since 2022, has also been Star Wine List ambassador of Star Wine List. The two roles point to the same discipline from different angles: building a list, then representing the standards behind it. In hotel service, the work is not only selection but calibration—setting a tone that is precise without being stiff, and broad without losing control.

Where They Are Now

Since 2019, he has served as Chief Sommelier at THE THOUSAND KYOTO in Kyoto, Japan. Wataru Iwata has described himself as drawn to wines he has not yet tasted, especially from regions or producers he is not familiar with: “I am always fascinated by wine I have never tasted before, especially regions or producers I am not familiar with.” That stance keeps the work active. A sommelier’s knowledge matters, but so does the refusal to let knowledge harden into habit. At THE THOUSAND KYOTO, that approach supports the basic job of the floor: pairing service with judgment, and judgment with restraint. The point is not to overstate a bottle’s importance, but to place it correctly in the meal and the room. Wataru’s focus on unfamiliar wines suggests a palate oriented toward detail and distinction, with enough discipline to let texture and place do the talking.

In Their Words “I started to drink local wine in New Zealand, and it was then I realized that each wine I tasted expressed different flavours and textures.” “My dream is to become the world champion, just like Mr Tasaki Shinya-san, the President of our Japanese Sommelier Association.”

Honors

Wataru's honors include Best Sommelier of Asia & Oceania (2018) and Best Sommelier of Japan (2017). Those awards place Wataru Iwata among the most closely watched sommeliers in Japan and beyond, but the clearer signal is what they reward: disciplined tasting, technical control, and the ability to keep finding range in wine without losing precision.