Japan's indigenous white wine grape. Said to have arrived via the Silk Road from China over 1,300 years ago, it's a rare subspecies of Vitis vinifera. It produces delicate, mineral wines with exceptional affinity for Japanese cuisine.
Introduced from China in the Nara period, it has been cultivated in Katsunuma, Yamanashi for over 1,000 years. Winemaking began at Japan's first winery in the 1870s. In 2010, it was registered with the OIV, becoming a globally recognized Japanese variety.
Koshu is truly 'wine made for Japanese cuisine.' Its delicate acidity, minerality, and subtle bitterness harmonize beautifully with dashi-based Japanese cooking. Various styles using sur lie and barrel aging have emerged, but first try a clean style paired with Japanese food.
The birthplace of Japanese wine and the country's largest wine region. A basin surrounded by Mt. Fuji and the Southern Alps, blessed with long sunshine hours and significant day-night temperature differences. As the holy land of the indigenous 'Koshu' grape, it produces delicate wines with excellent affinity for Japanese cuisine.
A highland wine region surrounded by the Japanese Alps. The cool climate at 500-900m elevation, long sunshine hours, and low rainfall provide ideal conditions for grape growing. Producing world-class wines from Merlot and Chardonnay, it's sometimes called 'Japan's Burgundy.'
Known as a fruit kingdom for cherries and La France pears, Yamagata also has an ideal environment for grape cultivation. It boasts Japan's highest Delaware production and has seen growing cultivation of European varieties. It's also gaining attention as a sparkling wine region.