We’ve got a good line-up, ranging from reasonable selections you can enjoy after every evening meal and more expensive ones for special occasions.
Quick List - Top Yamanashi Wines
Grace Wine
Exhibits an Exquisite Balance of Sweet and Sour Elements
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Even if a wine was produced in Yamanashi, unless it clears several conditions set by Japan’s National Tax Agency, it cannot officially be labeled “Yamanashi wine.” These conditions touch upon things like the variety of grapes used, the method of cultivation, and the level of alcohol.
Only after it has met these conditions and passed an inspection can a wine claim the title (and label) of Yamanashi wine. And we mentioned this before, but Yamanashi wines have recently been bringing home medals from the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), further cementing Yamanashi’s international renown.
Here, we want to introduce two things you should look out for when picking out Yamanashi wine.
If you want to know your wines, then you need to know your grapes. Because once you know your grapes, you’ll be able to make a rough guess as to the taste of any wine. Yamanashi wine can be made from all sorts of grapes, from local species to internationally-grown variants. Here are a few of the most common.
To experience the full flavor of Koshu grapes, try them in a simple white wine. If you are searching for greater depth, try something where the winemaking process was more involved, such as a bottle aged sur lie – that is, aged directly on the lees for lengths of time in order to extract and fill out flavors.
That clean, fruity taste makes Muscat Bailey A wines a perfect companion for Japanese meat and fish dishes. Try them if you find most red wines too astringent.
Cabernet Sauvignon is both sour and tannic, and simply by exposing it to air, you can change its flavor in subtle and wonderful ways. It pairs well with Western foods–in particular, roasts of red meat and steak.
It’s less sour and tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon and it's smooth and has an elegant taste; this, too, would be a good choice for those who don’t like astringent wines.
Merlot goes well with foods that are more mellow and full; think of stewed and braised meat dishes like beef stew or even the Japanese hot pot dish sukiyaki.
Chardonnay is called the Queen of White Wines. Its flavor changes depending on the place and method of production.
In colder climates, Chardonnay takes on an elegant taste that’s sharply acidic, as well as the fragrance of apples or pears. In warmer climates, it takes on a full, mellow flavor similar to ripe pineapples or banana.
Chardonnay wine produced in Yamanashi has the refreshing scent of green apples. It tastes fresh and elegant. It complements not only fish but also pork and poultry dishes.
Vineyards that cultivate Adirondac are extremely rare, earning it the appellation of “phantom grape.” In Japan, most producers are near the Katsunuma region in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Cultivating Adirondac is a painstaking process, which is why there are few dedicated vineyards. Not only must you harvest the grapes with care, cradling each cluster in both hands, but they’re also particularly susceptible to pests like birds and insects–producers know not to expect bountiful harvests.
Adirondac has the sweet scent of raspberries and feels clean and elegant on the tongue. It also tastes of fruit, both round and delicate.
Delaware, Niagara, and Kyoho grapes are varieties you can often find in supermarkets. They smell fruity and taste sweet, which is why they’re so often snacked on, but in wines, these characteristics come off too strong and often overpower the taste of other foods. Even when fermented, the grapes taste more like juice than wine.
Actually, most wines made from grapes that are normally eaten turn out sweet. Therefore, they’re best had after dinner as a dessert wine; you would also like them if you aren’t a big fan of alcohol and are looking for a sweet wine that’s easy to swallow.
Once you’ve found a Yamanashi wine that you particularly like, we recommend tucking away the name of its producer in your mind.
Many wineries also participate in the Yamanashi Nouveau, a festival that celebrates the release of new wines. It’s held annually, on the third of November in Tokyo and a bit later in Yamanashi Prefecture. If you get a chance, do participate–it’s always great fun to find a winery you love and compare their new concoctions with old favorites.
Below, we’ve introduced two wineries you may have already heard of; they’ve both won gold at international wine competitions and are the current forerunners of the Japanese winemaking industry.
Grace Wine adds no extra sweet or sour elements to their products; their principle is to make wine in as natural a way as possible. They produce Koshu wines that have umami and are both clean and elegant.
The woman in charge of cultivation over at Misawa Vineyards and the current chief winemaker at Grace Wines, Ayana Misawa, studied abroad in both France and South Africa, where she learned about the art of winemaking. Upon her return to Japan, she worked on the Cuvée Misawa Akeno Koshu 2013, which won gold at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Grace Wine is at the forefront of Japanese winemaking and is the winery that made the world aware of the limitless potential of Koshu grapes.
As per their French-derived name, L’Orient seeks to craft high-quality wines that won't lose to those produced by well-established makers in Europe. L’Orient’s winery is also a must-see for anyone interested in Yamanashi wine tours, as it offers visitors a chance to tread on grapes, bottle wines, and design their own labels.
As for its performance at the Decanter World Wine Awards, L’Orient brought home the gold medal with its first entry ever: the Cellar Master Koshu 2016.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Grace Wine Koshu Torii Hirahata Vineyard Private Reserve|2017 | ![]() | Exhibits an Exquisite Balance of Sweet and Sour Elements | |
2 | Lumiére Sparkling Koshu|2015 | ![]() | A Sparkling Wine That’s a Cut Above | |
3 | Grace Wine Grace Koshu|2017 | ![]() | Has a Clean, Refreshing Acidity | |
4 | Château Mercian Koshu Gris de Gris|2015 | ![]() | It's Well-Rounded Flavor is Sure to Be Appreciated by Many | |
5 | Marufuji Winery Rubaiyat Koshu Sur Lie|2016 | ![]() | This Well-Balanced Wine Excels in Every Subject | |
6 | Diamond Breweries Muscat Bailey A Ycube|2015 | ![]() | If You Want to Experience the Natural Fruitiness of Muscat Bailey A | |
7 | Kurambon Wine Bel Alba Muscat Bailey A | ![]() | A Natural Rosé Bursting With the Condensed Flavor of Grapes | |
8 | Soryu Winery Freezing Wine Red 2017|2017 | ![]() | Perfect as a Dessert Wine and Tastes and Smells like Strawberry Jam | |
9 | Marufuji Winery Rubaiyat Muscat Bailey A Barrel Aged Red|2016 | ![]() | The Drink for You if You Like to Slowly Sip and Savor Your Wine | |
10 | Haramo Wine Koshu Lees contact|2017 | ![]() | An Above Average Wine With a Floral Scent and a Simple Flavor Profile |
※Please note that from the time of this writing this article, the packaging has changed.
Our tasters did describe the wine as “closed”–that is, they felt that the acidity in the wine was a bit overpowering but hoped the drink would “open up” with time. We recommend decanting the wine or letting it sit for a bit after uncorking it.
※Please note that from the time of this writing this article, the packaging has been changed.
We gathered the 19 most popular Yamanashi wines from Amazon, Rakuten, and other e-commerce giants and tested them for flavor.
Testing this time was simple–we were looking for a delicious wine. We had wine experts try all the wines and look for ones that skillfully balanced sweetness and acidity and tasted good. We then graded each wine on a five-step scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
Know, too, that flavor is incredibly elusive when it comes to description. Not all wine will taste like what it says on the label. However, most of the wines that we gave high scores to did live up to their claims and accurately mirrored the descriptions put forth by the brand.
Finally, when you find a wine you like, remember to write down where and by whom it was produced and what grapes were used. If you share that information with a sommelier, he or she will be able to introduce you to more wines that you’re sure to enjoy.
Besides Yamanashi wines, Japan has plenty of other types of amazing tasting drinks out there. For instance, beers: there are plenty of famous brands–Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo–and brew in all kinds of styles. Then there's sake and even more other drinks to explore.
No. 1: Grace Wine |Koshu Torii Hirahata Vineyard Private Reserve|2017
No. 2: Lumiére|Sparkling Koshu|2015
No. 3: Grace Wine|Grace Koshu|2017
No. 4: Château Mercian|Koshu Gris de Gris|2015
No. 5: Marufuji Winery |Rubaiyat Koshu Sur Lie|2016
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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