When you thought about Japan beverages, you probably thought about sake. Never had we thought of Japanese wine. As we recently discovered, the sun is rising on Japan’s wine industry.
In 1877 the industry began with Chateau Mercian. Who knew! Wine there is the best kept secret. Not only do they grow vinifera but they have two indigenous grapes, Koshu and Muscat Bailey A.
We had the opportunity to taste wines from 60 Japanese properties. These were some we actually visited.
Chateau Mercian boasts three wineries. Katsunuma in Koshy, Yamanashi is the original winery founded in 1877 and produces 520,000 bottles of Koshu, Muscat Baily A, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Kikyogahara in Shiojriri, Nagano produces 30,000 bottles of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer. Mariko in Ueda, Nagano Produces 100,000 bottles of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
The winery in Katsunuma also features a museum and historical timeline of Japanese wines. They were known for their Koshu wines.
Koshu is credited to have been grown there 1,000 years and is a rose colored grape. It produces a light crisp white wine that pairs nicely with seafood.
Muscat Bailey A is a red grape hybrid of Black Muscat and Bailey which produces a soft fruity wine reminiscent of Pinot Noir. They recommend it to be paired with venison and sukiyaki.
Suntory Tomi No Oka Winery provides awe-inspiring views of Mt Fuji. This wine was the first Japanese wine to win a gold medal at Grance’s Les Citadelles du Vin. Their Merlot is uniquely managed with the primary fruiting branch removed to force the secondary bud to push. This process delays ripening to produce darker richer fruit with much less production.
When you visit the winery, be sure to go to the Fugimi Terrace which is in the Merlot vineyard and provides an overlook of Mount Fuji.
Shibuya Winery is a small urban winery in a multi-story mall. You can dine and watch the small cellar room while tasting the wines. Malls are very interesting in Japan. They are often commercial skyscrapers with restaurants on different floors. Restaurants are interspersed with retail so you can sip wine and shop!
Yatsugatake Grand Vert Vineyard is a high altitude mineral rich vineyard at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains.
Domaine Kosei is dedicated to producing Merlot in the Kataoka District of Shiojiri. It is the best of the Merlot producing areas. The Merlot has won several awards and has a complexity that comes from the use of American and French oak barrels in aging.Mann’s Wine Komoro Winery features a modern tasting room, Japanese garden and beautiful hidden cellar. We were surprised to see Riesling in the vineyard but it does well and is perfect with the sushi cuisine. They also do a clean sparkling wine. They also put plastic canopies over their vineyard rows to protect from rain. They call it Mann’s Rain-cut Viticulture.
EH Shuzo Brewery is not for beer but for sake. This sake brewery is located in Azumino and known for its traditional techniques and exceptional water source. You cannot visit Japan without learning about sake. Sake is a fermented product made from rice.
DAIO Wasabi Farm was a culinary festival of wasabi. See how to grow it, enjoy multiple wasabi based products (including ice cream!) and enjoy lunch on site. Wasabi looks like a horseradish root. It grows in flowing water and covered with shade cloth. They sell all sorts of wasabi flavored products. The wasabi ice cream was a very delight flavor and had no heat.
Like everything in Japan, art is the basis. Food on the plate is art. Flavors are simple, clean and lean. We had sushi every day. Desserts were light and airy.
Our favorite restaurant concept was the sushi on the track. The food came around on a moving conveyor belt and we just grabbed the items we wanted. The restaurant counted your plates at the end of the meal and charged you based on that.
After amazing Japanese meals every day, we ended our time in Matsumoto with pizza. Yes, pizza. Pizza Verde was excellent. Pizza’s are baked at 900 degrees for 90 seconds. They were great and the hospitality was so friendly. It is a small restaurant so make a reservation – 0263-50-7363.
