Wine complements all sorts of moods. At times, it is convivial. We share a bottle around the table, and our group of friends become merrier, the conversation seasoned with laughter. Yet wine can also nourish quiet contemplation. Sip a glass alone or with one other person (a beloved, perhaps), and then wine lends itself to thoughtful reflection or intimate conversation.

We relish wine for its complex, ever-changing taste; we are transported to another place in our mind by the patch of vineyard that it evokes. But we also love wine for the way it accompanies human experience with something like empathy -- how it provides a setting (the flavors, aromas, depth of color) that enriches and reinforces our memory of a moment. Years later, we recall the last bottle with a friend before a departure -- or a luxurious glass of Champagne on the night we celebrated our first job. Good wine can serve as a bookmark for the pages of our life that we wish to remember.

There are wine bars in Tokyo that suit these various occasions -- whether celebratory or contemplative. Good wine bars, like their owners, have distinct personalities. This week, we suggest one of our favorites in central Tokyo: a rare spot so cozy and discrete that it is suited for solo reverie or a secret te^te-a-te^te over wine.