Wines of Japan (Part 1)

Background

With me being about 6 weeks out from heading to Japan I wanted to share with you why I have been so excited about Japan and her wines. As we know Japan is a country of great culture, history and tradition it is also a country of great innovation and somehow these all work in harmony with one another especially when it comes to wine.

The history of grape production in Japan goes back at least a 1000 years, wine making or the use of grapes for the production of wine mirrors about the same time frames as the development of the Australian wine industry so it is a very young wine culture. Wine was seen by the Meiji government as a means by which Japanese industry could be modernised , like all early wine developments the focus was on the production of sweeter styled wines which we more compatible with the diets of the time.

It was not until the 1960's that the Japanese started to take wine more seriously, this was largely influenced by the movement to a more western styled diet, it was not until the 1980's that we started to see an uptick in consumption of wine domestically in Japan.

Locally made wine in Japan only represents around 19% of all wine that is consumed , the vast majority of wine/juice that is consumed is largely imported, France dominating the conversation.

Japan has a well developed and very knowledgeable wine culture, Japanese wine makers appreciate the understanding of how to make which reflects the region that is made, ensuring that the unique characteristics of the region are strongly evident. Japan is a country of 'terroir" as climate, soils, wine making traditions and the culture of the region are central to the creation of each and every Japanese wine.

Annual consumption of wine in Japan has been steadily increasing over the years, current wine consumption is around 3.2 million hectolitres, interesting enough Japan it seems for now is bucking the trend of declining demand caused by health concerns and inflationary pressures as we have seen across the globe. Japan's wine market seems to showing signs of strong resilience that other markets are not showing so the potential for growth especially in the premium sector seems quite positive.

The Regions

Japan is made of our a number of key wine regions with the Yamanashi Prefecture (nearest to Mt Fuji) is one of the oldest and largest producers of grapes for wine in Japan producing more than 80% of all wines production

Wine production has been spreading over the years to now include prefectures like;

• Chikumagawa Valley (Eastern Nagano)
• Nihon Alps Valley
• Yamagata-Mogamigawa
• Hokkaido
• Niigata, Osaka, Hypgo and Hiroshima

Wine production is very concentrated and dominated by nearly 300 small to medium producers making it not unlike Australia a very geographical diverse and splintered industry which lacks much integration and control.

Given the diverse geographical regions of Japan , growing what makes sense is an important issue especially as we are starting to see many more European varietals being grown here like Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir especially in the higher regions of Hokaido.

Indigenous grape variaties dominate the like Koshu (V.vinefera) , Muscat Bailey (V. vinifera & V. labrusca) and Delaware (V. labrusca & V.vinefera) , they are very well suited to the climatic conditions of Japan mostly because they are disease and mould resistant especially given the harsh changes in climate in each of the regions during the year.

You may hear the term "Standard Wine" , this is largely made up of Muscat Bailey and Delaware, historically these grapes have been used for standard grape consumption as table grapes much as what occurred in the Stanthorpe region of Queensland, so quality in the early days of production was less an issue as it is today as wineries continue to raise the standard in both their viticultural and oenological practices.

The Road Ahead

Japan despite having a 50 year industry is still very much at the frontier of developing a true wine culture, Japan is far from a static culture period , its food and wine culture is fast moving towards world class. The fact that Japanese now appreciate the combination of food and wine as a central tenant of their daily lives is an added advantage to help create a strong and robust market for wine.

There is much to learn and the industry is taking significant steps to modernise and grow their presence. So little is written about Japan and her wines but I am greatly appreciative of the work of Teiiji Takahashi, Kimmie Harada, Kazuhiko Kobayshi & Hiroshi Saito and their book Wines of Japan (2017) in helping to develop my knowledge and passion for the wines of Japan.

I hope to be able to contribute to the discussion as the next chapter is yet to be written as much have changed since 2017.

It is funny as an end point to this discussion is that Japan is not seen as being a part of the global wine tourism map, most guide books I have examined including the venerable Lonely Planet have little to no mention of wine in their guides. I am not sure if it is because there to much to comment about or they do not see the importance but it represents as opportunity as wine lovers continue to look for their next wine adventure.