In a country better known for sake, Japanese wine has made decent strides over the past decade.
Domestic wines have snagged accolades at competitions like the Decanter World Wine Awards, going toe-to-toe with Old World stalwarts. More wineries are finding their way onto wine lists in top restaurants outside of Japan: Umu in London offers a Koshu, an indigenous white wine, from Katsunuma Winery while Jaan in Singapore serves a merlot from cult winery Beau Paysage — both examples of tipples from Japan’s prized Yamanashi winemaking region hitting new heights.
Given the rising profile of Japanese wine, chances are you'd have sampled a few local wines yourself, courtesy of your favorite sommelier. With “dry January” now coming to an end, you might feel emboldened to pick a Japanese wine to share with family and friends but aren’t sure where to start.
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