Cream Wine and Spirits

05/26/2026

Toji & Owner Yuta Abe is coming to Chicago!

Yuta Abe is the 6th generation owner and toji of Abe Shuzo, one of Niigata’s most exciting modern breweries.

In 2015, Yuta Abe returned to his hometown of Kashiwazaki City to revive his family brewery with a renewed sense of purpose: to create sake the local community could truly cherish. Today, Abe Shuzo works exclusively with Niigata rice and yeast—much of it sourced from the Kashiwazaki area itself—while collaborating closely with local farmers to help establish the region as a respected source for premium sake rice. Beginning in 2024, the brewery deepened this commitment with the launch of its own agricultural production corporation and rice cultivation program.

Guided by the philosophy “ENJOY FERMENTATION,” Abe Shuzo prioritizes flavor, character, and curiosity over rigid efficiency. Fermentations are stopped not according to alcohol targets alone, but when the team feels the sake has reached its ideal expression, allowing each batch to reflect individuality and nuance. This thoughtful approach has earned Abe Shuzo widespread acclaim, including recognition as the no. 1 ranked brewery in Niigata by Sake Times.

Yuta Abe’s creativity extends well beyond sake production. From crafting cola made from sake lees for non-drinkers to repurposing byproducts into distilled alcohol and agricultural fertilizer, sustainability and innovation are central to the brewery’s identity.

JUNE 1st | 11am
Sake Salon & Tasting at
Please join us to meet Yuta Abe and explore a dynamic lineup of Abe Shuzo’s expressive, boundary-pushing sakes. RSVP required with your Cream salesperson. TRADE ONLY

JUNE 1st | 7pm
Sake + Yakitori Cookout at with

JUNE 2nd: Yuta + + will be bouncing around town. If you can't make the seminar, this is another opportunity to meet Yuta and taste Abe sake.

05/13/2026

Meet the makers coming to town for the portfolio tasting.

Rodrigo Mendez of is widely regarded as one of the world's top producers of Albariño. His small winery is in Val do Salnés—the most coastal subzone in Rías Baixas. Special and rare bottlings have been secured for his visit and events.

Rita Pintos of Caves São João brings a rare opportunity to explore one of Portugal's most historic cellars. Founded in 1920, the estate is known for both Champagne method sparkling wines and an extraordinary library of aged releases--and we've secured a rarely seen 1996 Cab for her events!

Juanjo Piñol is the 4th generation to run Cellar Piñol in the Catalan highlands of Tarragona (2 hrs SW of Barcelona). From vibrant whites to expressive Garnacha-based reds, Piñol wines reflect the sun-drenched, Mediterranean landscape of Terra Alta—balanced by freshness and acidity. Like the others, special and rare bottlings have been secured for the visit.

05/13/2026

Join us in Chicago for an intimate Olé & Obrigado portfolio tasting, spotlighting a focused selection of Spanish and Portuguese producers.

Meet the people behind the bottles, including Rodrigo Méndez, Juanjo Piñol, and Rita Pintos, and explore a lineup that blends sought-after releases with rare, small-production wines.

In addition to the featured producers, we’ll be pouring a curated range of Spanish and Portuguese highlights from the O&O portfolio.

TRADE ONLY-RSVP REQUIRED contact your cream sales rep to register.

11-2pm Wednesday, May 20th

05/06/2026

Rare moment, Chicago: a mezcalero is coming to town.

Next week we’re honored to welcome Lalo for his very first visit to the United States — and his first time in Chicago. Let’s show him some love.

Taste through his remarkable agave spirits across the city with special pours, stories, and one-of-a-kind private batches made exclusively for each participating location. No two stops are the same.

And yes — the Cream Seminar will feature an even deeper dive into the world behind the bottles.

Cream Seminar is trade only. RSVP required through your Cream rep. Seating is limited.

04/30/2026

https://vimeo.com/651772687

California Natural offers a sensuous immersion into the world of natural winemaking pioneer, Martha Stoumen. The film illuminates this first generation winemaker’s ethos and values as she explores the shifting tides of climate change with creativity, expertise and joy. Learn more and shop at www.m...

04/27/2026

Sohomare Salon at Cream 🍶

An unforgettable morning with Jun Kono of Sohomare Sake Brewery—family-owned in Ichikai, Tochigi since 1872. We were honored to welcome Jun and his wife Junko to Chicago, sharing not only their sake, but a living lineage: Jun as 5th-generation steward, with the 6th and 7th already on the horizon.

Sohomare is a study in precision and patience. Brewing centers on Yamada Nishiki rice sourced from the prestigious Special A designation of Yokawa and Tojo in Hyogo—its birthplace. Their commitment to the traditional kimoto method (used by only a small fraction of breweries) speaks to a philosophy rooted in time, texture, and depth. Fermentations rely on native lactic acid, and many of the sakes age in 1.8L bottles before blending—multi-yeast, multi-vintage compositions released just a handful of times each year.

The result: sake with resonance. Layered, savory, quietly powerful.

Alongside the current lineup at Cream, Jun shared something truly special with us: Ki-Itsu “Hyperion” 2018. A singular expression: single yeast, single vintage, and profoundly elegant. SUBLIME!

Pro tip: treat aged Sohomare like fine Burgundy. Serve it in a Burgundy glass to unlock its full aromatic and textural range.

Grateful to host, taste, and learn from one of sake’s great traditionalists.

04/24/2026

Today we wish Lissa a farewell. Our plant momma will be sorely missed. Happy retirement! !

04/22/2026

Chicago, this is your invite.

This May, Coquetel Collective, Cream Wine & Spirits, and many fabulous friends are teaming up for a citywide celebration of AAPI Heritage Month—and you’re on the list.

16 events. All across Chicago. The whole month of May.

Think takeovers, tastings, pop-ups, and nights that bring people together over seriously good drinks.

Come out. Show up. Celebrate the voices and flavors of the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

*Special appearance by Alice Jun of !

Start making room on your calendar. May 2026 is going to be full of fun!🥂

04/13/2026

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-tasting-with-claire-jarreau-winemaker-for-brooks-winery-willamette-tickets-1987156371199?aff=oddtdtcreator

Happening this week at The Wine Goddess!

Sip some amazing Willamette wines and chat with Claire Jarreau, the genius behind Brooks Winery’s best bottles!

04/03/2026

introducing SAKE GODZILLA

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Now avail cream
Produced by
Imported by Uka Sake

04/02/2026

PM Spirits
・・・
To all the funk heads out there: this rum is for you. The product of two first-generation distillers with a knack for experimentation and new flavors, Melaza con Muck is the debut of this mark from the Satvrnal distillery. Inspired by the funky flavors of high ester Caribbean rums, Pedro Andrés and Jorge Nájera created their own recipe of muck and fermented it for 15 days with high grade molasses. They distilled that fermented mash in a copper hybrid still before bottling it at a hefty 57.1% abv.

If you’ve been to any decent drinking establishment in Guadalajara, chances are you’ve tasted one of Pedro and Jorge’s elixirs. Satvrnal, located on the outskirts of the city, produces gin, absinthe, vodka, banana eau de vie, and small runs of molasses-based rum in their custom hybrid column-pot still. Satvrnal’s small batches of unique rum represent the contemporary, experimental side of The Rums of Mexico.

These rums we’ve been posting about all week have started to hit shelves in New York and will continue to show up in select other markets in the coming weeks.

📸: Jake Lindeman