When it comes to warm winter gourmet dishes, hot pot and simmered dishes are representative. Hot pots filled with plenty of vegetables, mushrooms, seafood, and meat, and simmered dishes cooked slowly over time, are among the winter delicacies. If you want to pair with such winter feasts, Japanese wine is definitely the choice.
This time, "CRAFT WINE SHOP" has carefully selected Japanese wines to pair with your winter feast.
Try pairing Japanese wine with your slightly more luxurious winter feast.
The season for craving hot pot and simmered dishes has arrived!
One of the dishes people crave from autumn to winter is hot pot and simmered dishes. Hot pot, in particular, is a winter staple that you can customize freely with ingredients and flavors, making it something you want to eat every day. According to a survey by a certain weather information company, many people felt like eating hot pot when the temperature was 18°C. So, it might be safe to say that from around December, you’ll want to eat hot pot every day.
Also, there’s talk that more people cook simmered dishes when the minimum temperature drops below 20°C, so it’s clear that from late autumn through winter, opportunities to enjoy hot pot and simmered dishes increase.
Japanese wine is recommended for pairing!
How many people consider choosing wine when pairing alcohol with hot pot or simmered dishes? If it’s a Western-style stew, many might think, “Wine goes well with this!” But when it comes to Japanese simmered dishes rich in miso, soy sauce, and broth, people tend to want to pair them with sake or shochu. Although Western-style hot pots have become popular recently, the standard hot pots are still mainly based on Japanese seasonings.
For this reason, most people probably don’t think of pairing wine with Japanese hot pot or simmered dishes. That’s exactly why Japanese wine is the one you should choose when pairing with these dishes. Let’s explain why below.
Delicate flavors complement Japanese tastes
In recent years, the quality of Japanese wine has improved remarkably, but that doesn't mean it has shifted towards the powerful and bold flavor profile typical of overseas wines. Japanese wine is generally characterized by a delicate and refined, "elegant" quality, and wines that push through with intense individuality are relatively rare. Therefore, unlike many foreign wines, Japanese wine does not clash with strong-flavored Japanese seasonings like soy sauce, miso, seafood or kelp broth, and sake lees; instead, it gently enhances those flavors. Whether using Japan's unique grape varieties such as Koshu, Muscat Bailey A, and Yamasachi, or international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, Japanese wines maintain a delicate finish typical of their style. The aroma is not overpowering but softly brings out the best of the grape variety, with a smooth texture and clean taste that feels like it seeps into our bodies with subtlety. Especially for hot pot dishes like "mizutaki," which draw out umami from chicken and vegetables, it is no exaggeration to say that Japanese wine is the best match.
Japanese red wine pairs exceptionally well with soy sauce and miso!
When it comes to winter hot pot and simmered dishes, some people may crave salty flavors, seafood broth like oden, or dishes using white miso such as Ishikari nabe. For hot pot and simmered dishes using white broth, seafood, white miso, or sake lees, Japanese white wine is the best match. Koshu is especially versatile, and aromatic varieties like Delaware and Niagara, as well as crisp and delicate whites like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, also pair excellently. However, when thinking of Japanese winter feasts, you can't overlook simmered dishes with sweet and savory flavors made from plenty of soy sauce, mirin, and sake, or rich miso-based hot pots. Sukiyaki, miso-flavored hot pots, braised pork belly, nikujaga, and simmered vegetables brighten up the Japanese winter dining table. For these hot pot and simmered dishes, Japanese red wine is recommended. Among them, Muscat Bailey A has a fragrance called furaneol that evokes strawberry-like sweetness and, in small amounts, a caramel note. This aroma closely matches the flavor of reduced soy sauce and complements the charming sweetness of fruit combined with sugar and mirin. Also, Japanese red wines have silky, not overpowering tannins, so the wine’s character does not overpower the dish’s flavors. One of the charms of Japanese wine is how it brings out the best in premium Japanese ingredients like Wagyu beef. It offers a pure and sophisticated pairing experience different from sake, shochu, or beer.
Three Japanese Wines to Pair with Winter Feasts
From here, we will introduce three recommended Japanese wines by "CWS" that pair well with winter feasts. This time, we have focused mainly on red wines. Please try pairing them with hot pot and simmered dishes made with luxurious ingredients.
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery / TOMOÉ Muscat Bailey A Shibadoko Vineyard 2020
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, is one of the main production areas for Muscat Bailey A. The popular TOMOÉ series includes 'TOMOÉ Muscat Bailey A Shibadoko Vineyard 2020,' a red wine that pairs excellently with sukiyaki. This bottle uses Muscat Bailey A grapes harvested by contracted farmer Mr. Shibadoko, with the darkest grapes from that vintage carefully aged in barrels. It offers the rich fruitiness characteristic of Muscat Bailey A, combined with complex barrel aromas, resulting in a medium-bodied finish. Try pairing it with sukiyaki made from high-quality, well-marbled Wagyu beef.
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery / TOMOÉ Muscat Bailey A Shibadoko Vineyard 2020
2,530 yen (tax included)
More details about the wine here
Shinshu Takayama Winery / Murayori 2023
Shinshu Takayama Winery in Takayama Village, Nagano Prefecture, continues to produce high-quality wines. 'Murayori 2023,' named as a play on "from the region" and "village news," is a perfect bottle for winter feasts. What makes this wine unique is that the grape varieties are not disclosed. To encourage enjoying the wine without preconceptions, only the fact that the grapes were harvested in Takayama Village is shared. This is an attractive red wine that purely expresses the terroir of Takayama Village. It features complex aromas, juicy fruit flavors, refreshing acidity, and silky tannins. Its light body makes it easy to pair with a wide range of winter dishes. It is an all-around wine that goes well with soy sauce-based, miso-based, seafood broth-based hot pots, and mizutaki (chicken hot pot).
Tsuno Wine / Private Reserve Bijunoir 2023
Tsuno Wine, a winery in Miyazaki Prefecture, enjoys overwhelming support from Japanese wine fans. This red wine is made from Bijunoir, a domestic hybrid grape variety combining Koshu Sanshaku, Merlot, and Malbec. True to its name meaning "black jewel," this black grape variety shines with a ruby color that dazzles in the glass. It features rich aromas of plum and dark berries, a full-bodied fruitiness, and silky tannins with a solid structure. It pairs wonderfully with meat dishes, making it a perfect match for Kansai-style sukiyaki, braised pork belly, and slow-cooked beef stews. It also pairs superbly with miso beef stew that uses miso as a secret ingredient. Be sure to give it a try.
Summary
As the season progresses, hot pot and simmered dishes will surely appear more often. For winter feasts made with luxurious ingredients, Japanese wine is highly recommended.
Japanese wine pairs excellently not only with Western and ethnic flavors but also with Japanese-style hot pot and simmered dishes.
Why not add a touch of luxury to your winter moments with Japanese wine?
