Japan’s wine industry has potential to succeed globally

(JapanDailyPress) - The grapevine is a fickle plant, in that it is very strict in its climate requirements to grow, much less produce fruit good enough for wine-making. That is probably the reason the “old world” has always been at the forefront when talking about world-class wines – France, obviously the Provencal and Bordeaux regions, and Veneto in Italy. But lately Japan’s Koshu grapes have been attracting international attention.

Grapevine is inherently a European plant, but the vine had made it to China via Asia’s Silk Road and across the East China Sea to Japan, where the fruit was initially grown for medicinal purposes. Now the “Koshu grape” grows on the foothills of Mt. Fuji, where the climate is perfect for the vine’s growth. Both local and international wine connoisseurs agree that the area makes a pretty decent – and inherently Japanese – white wine, and industry leaders say they might just take the leap and start exporting the wine internationally. “In the mouth it is fresh at first, with a nice balance between acidity and natural sugar. To finish it has a little astringency that makes it special,” said local winemaker Naoki Watanabe, adding that it “goes well with Japanese dishes like sashimi or grilled fish, as well as with sauces like soy or miso.” Koshu grape has evolved a lot to thrive in the volcanic soil of this region, where there is heavy rainfall. The variety is thick-skinned, enough to survive the rainfall. Rain in the region is also balanced by a lot of sunshine, more than what France’s Bordeaux region gets in a year. These situations give the grape a distinct sweetness, as the climate concentrates the naturally occurring sugars in the fruit.