The image most people have of Japanese wine is of the ¥500 plonk sitting next to the synthetic beer and sickly sweet chu-hi cocktails on the shelves of their local convenience store; of the cheap and decidedly dismal stuff of lost weekends and discarded personal dignity.
Let it be known, then, that these inexpensive wines are not actually 100-percent Japanese, but are made by blending in cheap imported grape juice. Real unadulterated Japanese wine, while still in its infancy, is now taking its first steps into the big wide world. Back in early 2008, the first Japanese wine was allowed to be imported into the EU, and many exporters are now setting their sights on exploiting the growing market for wine as a companion to sushi.
It's not just small boutique producers who are looking to raise the standards of Japanese wine. Back in 2002, drinks company Mercian finally stopped blending its fine wine with imported wine to produce a vintage made from 100-percent Japanese grapes. That move has won the company a number of international wine awards and raised the bar considerably for other large wine producers.
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