Event Overview
Japan may be better known for its sake or whisky, but a wine called Koshu is getting popular among wine lovers brimming with curiosity.
What is Koshu?
Koshu is the best known type of grape in Japan and has been grown for more than 1000 years. Wine made from Koshu is known for crisp acidity, strong minerality and restrained flavors of white peach and citrus. It’s on the road to becoming the first Asian wine to gain international recognition. As a result, one of the bottles has been winning the Gold Award for a consecutive six years in the Decanter World Wine Awards.
Koshu is a must-try for fans of delicate wines such as Sancerre and Saumur Blanc, but unlike the others, Koshu is very much its own grape. In addition, if you’re searching for the perfect partner for raw-fish dishes such as Sushi, join this event and explore all the possibilities!
In this event, you will learn the history of Koshu and the wine made from it, and four different Japanese wineries: Chateau Mercian, Kisvin Winery and Katsunuma Jyozo.
**Please note that this event is for industry only guests and serious business attendees.**
Wine List
About the Wineries
Château Mercian
The Château Mercian winery is located in Katsunuma, an area just east of the center of the prefecture. The winery uses the Japanese grape variety Koshu and world class Cabernet Sauvignon from its own Jyonohira vineyard.
Kisvin Winery
Kisvin Winery is the work of a 37 year old winemaker Mayu Saito. Kisvin currently farms 14 grapes on 5 hectares of vineyards near Koshu city. Grape varieties include international varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel but also include local varietals such as Koshu. The wines of Kisvin are modern and yet restrained on the palate; the hard work of a single mother deeply invested in putting Japanese wine on the world map.
Katsunuma Jyozo
Katsunuma Jyozo is one of Yamanashi’s top producers of Koshu wines. Exclusively using grapes grown in Katsunuma-cho, it controls every winemaking step from viticulture to bottling. Katsunuma is relatively new among the world’s great winemaking regions. Grapes have been grown there for 1,000 years but wine has only been produced for 130 years. Katsunuma Jyozo however, continues the tradition established by its founder, producing and improving wines that express the full history and culture of Katsunuma, fully committing to the principle that wine exists to allow connoisseurs to savour the terroir in which the grape is grown.