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Wine in Japan

Craig Camp

By Craig Camp
in Japan: Cooking & Baking

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Craig Camp

Craig Camp

Posted
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Posted
is this a common practice for wine? I have never heard of it before.

I am curious to give it a try when it comes out.

It is a first I have heard of it being done intentionally. I don't think you can count the wine they found in the Titanic.

Craig Camp

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torakris

torakris

Posted
Posted
is this a common practice for wine? I have never heard of it before.

I am curious to give it a try when it comes out.

It is a first I have heard of it being done intentionally. I don't think you can count the wine they found in the Titanic.

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

I wonder how much they are going to charge for this stuff?

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Bux

Bux

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I wonder how much they are going to charge for this stuff?

From the Japan Times article: "Neptune 3000 and Mermaid 1000 wines will cost 5,000 yen a bottle, the Katsunuma officials said." Is that about $42 a bottle? I guess they won't have to worry about loss through evaporation.

Robert Buxbaum

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Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

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  • 1 year later...
helenjp

helenjp

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Last week's Aera magazine had an article on Japanese wine. I bought it and discovered that they were restricting themselves to wines over the 3,000 yen per bottle line. For goodness sake! If a high-tech nation of gourmandisers can't make decent wine for that price, let them drink Mountain Dew, but what I want to know is whether, unbeknownst to me, Japanese wine-makers are producing decent wines at half those prices.

I keep hearing about how the quality of Japanese wine has improved, so if you have da evidence, spill!

Helenjp

* Pickles foodblog

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Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

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I don't spend 3000 yen or more on a bottle of wine. I used to buy imported wine in the price range of 500 to 1000 yen per bottle. Now that I am stingier, I rarely buy imported wine, either. Currently, I am a fan of Echigo Shiozawa, 1,210 yen per bottle, which is produced by Echigo Winery and can be purchased in Shiozawa town only. I only buy it for a special occasion. My wife and I drank a bottle on our wedding anniversary, October 10.

Now, the bottle is my avatar. :wink:

gallery_16375_5_1098742130.jpg

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smallworld

smallworld

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Currently, I am a fan of Echigo Shiozawa, 1,210 yen per bottle, which is produced by Echigo Winery and can be purchased in Shiozawa town only.  I only buy it for a special occasion.  My wife and I drank a bottle on our wedding anniversary, October 10.

So what's it like?

My eGullet foodblog: Spring in Tokyo

My regular blog: Blue Lotus

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Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

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Currently, I am a fan of Echigo Shiozawa, 1,210 yen per bottle, which is produced by Echigo Winery and can be purchased in Shiozawa town only.  I only buy it for a special occasion.  My wife and I drank a bottle on our wedding anniversary, October 10.

So what's it like?

GOOD QUESTION!

My wife doesn't care for dry wine, and I don't want to drink sweet wine. This one is perfect for us; not too sweet and not too dry. Well-balanced.

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torakris

torakris

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I don't drink wine so really have nothing to add, but I don't think I have ever seen expensive Japanese wines (of course I am not looking either.)

Most of the Japanese wines I see are super cheap like 380 to 580 yen a bottle ($3.50~$5.50), of course I have no idea what they taste like....

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

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Posted
I don't drink wine so really have nothing to add, but I don't think I have ever seen expensive Japanese wines (of course I am not looking either.)

Most of the Japanese wines I see are super cheap like 380 to 580 yen a bottle ($3.50~$5.50), of course I have no idea what they taste like....

I don't think that in that price range, you can get wine entirely made from domestically-grown grapes. Take Super Bon Marche of Mercian (Japanese winery) for example.

Click http://www.mercian.co.jp/s_bonmarche/index.html and scroll down, and you will see a description in the lower right corner. It says that this wine is 70% imported wine and 30% wine domestically produced from imported grape juice.

I used to drink wines in that price range until 5-6 years ago, but no more. While they are drinkable, why should I buy such 'cheap' ones when imported wines are available in the same price range?

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sizzleteeth

sizzleteeth

Posted
Posted (edited)

It seems since 1949, Mercian Katsunuma Winery has been growing grapes in Jyonohira, Kikyogahara, Hokushin, Niitsuru, and Toriibira and producing wines.

(Mercian recently bought and refurbished Markham Vineyards in Napa Valley, California

and produce several varietals there.)

I am looking to order some of their wines produced in Japan and am looking for anyone who has tried them that can make recommendations on what they liked and didn't like and why.

{edit - broken link}: http://www.chateaumercian.com/cm/english/index.html

Edited by sizzleteeth (log)

"At the gate, I said goodnight to the fortune teller... the carnival sign threw colored shadows on her face... but I could tell she was blushing." - B.McMahan

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Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

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Sorry, I am no wine enthusiast. I have a feeling you will get more response in the Wine Forum.

Just some recommendations:

Red:

Chateau Mercian Nagano Merlot

Quaffable and smooth

3,150 yen

White:

Chateau Mercian Niitsuru Chardonnay

Mineral flavor and distinctive

2,625 yen

from here:

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/ballet/last-night/others/j-wine.htm

(Japanese only)

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sizzleteeth

sizzleteeth

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Thank you Hiroyuki, as always you are most helpful.

You don't have to be a wine enthusiast to know if something tastes good or

whether you liked it or not - though I'm sure there are some who might say

you do.

:smile:

"At the gate, I said goodnight to the fortune teller... the carnival sign threw colored shadows on her face... but I could tell she was blushing." - B.McMahan

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  • 8 months later...
Hiroyuki

Hiroyuki

Posted
Posted
Last week's Aera magazine had an article on Japanese wine. I bought it and discovered that they were restricting themselves to wines over the 3,000 yen per bottle line. For goodness sake! If a high-tech nation of gourmandisers can't make decent wine for that price, let them drink Mountain Dew, but what I want to know is whether, unbeknownst to me, Japanese wine-makers are producing decent wines at half those prices.

I keep hearing about how the quality of Japanese wine has improved, so if you have da evidence, spill!

Helen,

Check out this site (Japanese only) to determine which brand to buy.

Echigo Merlot 2002 of Echigo Winery won a silver medal in the European variety, red category.

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helenjp

helenjp

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Posted

That's interesting - Merlot might be a good choice for a Japanese winery.

When I was in Hokkaido, I was talking with local people about the Tokachi Winery there. The feeling was that the local government applied pressure to produce "heavy" red wines that could be promoted alongside beef steak and lamb barbeque (both major tourist draws in the area). The fact that neither local winedrinking tastes nor the climate favored heavy reds just wasn't allowed to intervene!

Helenjp

* Pickles foodblog

* New Year foodblog

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