TN: Japanese wines! Vol. II

[Otto_Forsberg]

@Sonoe_Hirabayashi

I’m originally from Nagano, which is now one of Japan’s major wine regions (second to Hokkaido)

I thought Hokkaido was 3rd - isn’t Yamanashi by far Japan’s biggest and most important wine region, accounting more than third of Japan’s wine production? But yes, Nagano is on 2nd place.

@Sonoe_Hirabayashi

• Japan has been one of the largest markets for natural wine outside of France for quite some time. There’s definitely a cultural affinity for French food and wine.
• Japanese food culture also plays a role — people are very familiar with fermented foods, so characteristics that might be considered flaws in conventional winemaking are often more accepted or even appreciated.
• There’s also a safety angle. Japan imports a large portion of its food, and after various food safety issues in the late ’90s and early 2000s, consumers became more conscious. Natural wine, in some ways, fits into that broader mindset.

All these were great points, some which are quite well-discussed in the wine media, and some which are not as much!

@Sonoe_Hirabayashi

That said, I don’t think Fukuoka’s influence is as direct in Japan as it’s sometimes portrayed from the outside.

This is also an interesting point. Several non-interventionists around the world have said that Fukuoka’s impact on them has been great, but it is very difficult to say how it in Japan from an outsider’s perspective.

@Sonoe_Hirabayashi

From my experience, some wines from the late 2010s and early 2020s may also reflect environments where sake yeast was prevalent. Sake yeast is a very strong fermenter, but rather than building complexity from grape phenolics, it can sometimes result in wines that feel sharper and more linear in profile.

Also something very interesting to hear - especially when we had that sake fermented with commercial wine yeasts in our tasting!

@Sonoe_Hirabayashi

If anyone reading this have a chance to travel to Japan, I highly recommend picking up a few bottles. There are some really fun discoveries

Fully agreed - I just went to Japan last May, including Nagano (and posted about a winery visit a little while ago), and I’ve also been to Yamanashi, visiting multiple producers back in 2018. Amazing trips, both!