What To Pair With Japanese Food? Award-Winning Japanese Wines Are Now Available In The U.S.

Do Japanese people make wine?

Yes, they do—and in fact, excellent ones.

The world’s biggest wine competitions, including the IWSC International Wine & Spirit Competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine Challenge, honor Japanese wines with multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Japanese wine has been almost totally unknown in the U.S., partly because it was generally unremarkable until recently.

What happened?

It wasn’t an overnight success.

Wine has a long history in Japan. Along with Christianity, the Portuguese priest Francis Xavier brought wine for the first time to Japan in 1549 and many samurais got a taste for it. Over the years, Japanese entrepreneurs attempted to make local wine by conquering the far-less-than-ideal climate for growing vines.

They developed grapes suitable to the Japanese terroir, adopted different vine training systems and selected the right grape for the specific region. Now, finally, the cumulative efforts have borne fruit.

Uniquely Japanese Grape Varieties

Japanese wine is getting much attention because it is different and original.

The country’s native grape varieties, such as Muscat Bailey A and Koshu, offer distinctive tastes and flavors.

In the early 20^th century, an ambitious man called Zenbe Kawakami in Niigata Prefecture was inspired by Kaishu Katsu, the legendary statesman, naval engineer and military commander who happened to be his family friend. Kawakami decided to save struggling farmers by developing a wine industry.

In 1927, through numerous trial and error, Kawakami developed Muscat Bailey A, a red grape variety that is resistant to problems like mold and mildew caused by the humid Japanese climate.

Since then, the grape’s quality kept improving. Also, Japanese winemakers have been fine-tuning their skills, making the grape ready to shine in the global market.

What does Muscat Bailey A taste like?

It has mild tannins and lots of berry-like fruit aroma, thanks to the high level of furaneol, which is also found in strawberries and pineapple. Muscat Bailey A can have 1,000 times more furaneol than European grape varieties.

Furaneol is also rich in soy sauce. So it makes sense that wine made with Muscat Bailey A is naturally harmonious with Japanese food, such as teriyaki sauce.

Another characteristic Japanese grape is Koshu whose skin is colored beautifully in pink.

This white grape variety is said to have been planted first in 1186 but its origin is a bit of a mystery. Some say it is 100% native to Japan, some say it has roots in European varieties, and others say it is a hybrid of European and American varieties.

In any case, Koshu beautifully expresses the Japanese terroir. It offers refreshing, citrusy notes like Sauvignon Blanc; you may also find an aromatic bouquet like peach and pear as in Pinot Grigio. Koshu wine often comes with subtle “shibumi”, or pleasant mouth-puckering sensation, which gives a balance to the wine with a note of jasmine tea.

Along with these Japanese grapes, European varieties express their charm very differently in the Japanese terroir, reflecting its idiosyncratic climate and mountainous geography. Also, Japan’s strong culture and mindset of making fine fermented alcoholic beverages, like sake and shochu, certainly affect producers’ winemaking philosophies.

The Deregulation By The Japanese Government

Another powerful force behind the rapid growth of the Japanese wine industry is the deregulation by the government, which started in 2003.

The goal was regional development through wine production. Under the new regulations, you can produce wine from a minimum volume of 2,000 liters, down from 6,000 liters. It means that you can start a wine business with a much smaller initial investment.

As of 2003, there were about 170 wineries in Japan and the number shot up to 468 in 2023, a 175% increase in 20 years. In a 2023 survey by the government, 90% of the 294 wineries were small operations, indicating that the deregulation was highly successful.

In addition, the Japanese wine industry has the advantage of not being restricted by complex rules like in classic wine-producing regions. Producers are free to choose any vineyard sites, grape varieties, aging period and so forth. There are wineries throughout the country, making diverse styles of wines. The top three prefectures of Yamanashi, Nagano, and Hokkaido account for 47% of the total number of wineries.

Where To Taste Japanese Wines

Japanese wines are becoming more available in the U.S.

Jamie Graves, Japanese beverage portfolio manager at Skurnik Wines & Spirits in New York, started to distribute Japanese wines earlier this year.

“Contrary to my expectation, it has been quite easy to introduce Japanese wines to the U.S. market. Japan has a massive reputation for quality. After Japanese food and whisky became familiar to many Americans, people seem to be thrilled to find anything new from Japan,” he says.

Graves came across Japanese wine on a visit to the country several years ago. “A local sommelier friend introduced me to new labels, including native Japanese varieties as well as European grapes grown locally, such as Merlot, Pinot Noir and Kerner. I was fascinated.”

One of Graves’ clients is Tsukimi, the Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant in the East Village, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a Japanese wine pairing menu with chef Takanori Akiyama’s original kaiseki-style dishes.

For example, a soup with fluffy Hamo, or conger eel, is paired with Katsunuma Aruga Clareza 2022. It is made 100% with Koshu. Akiyama tops the delicate fish with sweet and sour rhubarb jam to bridge the wine’s fruitiness and the fish’s rich umami.

“This producer planted Koshu in 20 different vineyards and blended the best ones to make this wine,” says Shiho Tanaka, head sommelier. “How geeky! And we adore his mindset,” she smiles.

A dish of shabu shabu-style wagyu beef is served with Domaine Mie Ikeno Pinot Noir 2019. The wine’s soft tannins and gentle acidity create a perfect balance with the creamy white sesame sauce and silky marbling of the beef.

By the way, Domaine Mie Ikeno is an iconic example of small wine production in Japan. The owner, grower and winemaker Mie Ikeno studied in France and in 2007, she started growing vines on an abandoned mulberry field in Yamanashi Prefecture. Now she produces 800 cases of wine annually and her wine is much sought-after in the market.

Japanese Wine With Non-Japanese Food

Japanese wine naturally pairs with Japanese food.

Karen Lin, Tsukimi’s co-owner and GM, who also is a certified sommelier says, “Grapes grown in Japan come from the same environment as the ingredients to prepare Japanese dishes. Because of this, I think naturally the wine picks up flavors and aromas that pair well with the food. Also, the Japanese winemakers know the Japanese palate. The wines are delicate yet complex, just like the food.”

Graves of Skurnik Wines & Spirits agrees. “Japanese winemakers produce what they want to drink. For example, their wine tends to have elements like minerality and earthiness that pair with umami, which is foundational in Japanese food.”

But umami is a universal taste and is abound in global dishes. Some non-Japanese restaurants already noticed the potential of Japanese wine and have it on their wine lists, including the Italian restaurant Popina in Brooklyn and Oyster Club in Mystic, CT.

Other reputable importers have also introduced Japanese wine to the U.S., such as Zev Rovine Selections and D-I WINE.

Remember that no one paid attention to Japanese whisky until 2015? An influential annual whisky review magazine called Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible named a Japanese label the best whisky in the world and all of a sudden, Japan became an outstanding whisky producer.

Is Japanese wine following the whisky’s path?

Who knows. If you see Japanese wine, you may want to try it now for a pleasant surprise.