The year-end and New Year holidays passed by in a busy rush. Luxurious feasts, family, fine wine, and time spent talking with family, friends, and acquaintances—these moments were surely special for everyone. Now, with those dreamlike long holidays over, many of you have likely returned to your usual daily routines. While extraordinary days are wonderful, many also appreciate the calmness of everyday life.
This time, "CRAFT WINE SHOP" introduces Japanese wines that you can casually enjoy in your daily life. Please use this as a reference when choosing your wine.
Japanese Wine Can Be Enjoyed Casually!
Many people probably bought wine for the year-end and New Year events. While wine often has the image of being a “special drink,” it seems that wine culture is beginning to take root in Japan, with more people enjoying wine regularly. Japanese wine is helping to lead this culture, but this category of wine is often associated more with “special occasions” than with “everyday casual” use. If you want to enjoy wine casually, you might think of affordable imported wines, and reserve Japanese wine for special occasions... We want those people to enjoy Japanese wine casually in their daily lives. Let us explain why.
Excellent Cost Performance!
Japanese wine offers great cost performance. The definition of Japanese wine is “wine made in Japan using 100% grapes grown domestically,” which certainly gives it a special feel. Compared to famous overseas wine regions like France, the vineyard area, harvest volume, and production quantity are much smaller, making Japanese wine rarer and inevitably more expensive (it’s difficult to find bottles priced around 500 yen).
However, on the flip side, Japanese wine is packed with the passion of its producers, many of whom focus on quality like “boutique wineries.” For example, a Cabernet Sauvignon from a boutique winery in Napa Valley, California, costs around 170,000 yen per bottle—practically a jewel. Although there are differences in quality and rarity, high-quality Japanese wines are recognized worldwide and can stand alongside the world’s boutique wineries.
Especially, many Japanese wines priced between 1,000 and 3,000 yen contain more than double the effort and value, making them outstanding in cost performance. While not necessarily for daily drinking, Japanese wine is ideal as a “weekly weekend companion.” Wines crafted with such care and dedication are available at accessible prices. Japanese wine truly offers excellent value for money.
Pairs Well with Home Cooking!
The true joy of wine is pairing it with food. On days when you decide, “Today I’ll drink wine!” you often imagine recipes that go well with wine. However, most of these imagined recipes tend to be Western-style dishes featuring fatty meats, cream, charcuterie, herbs, olive oil, pepper, cheese, stews, tomato sauce, or something with breadcrumbs. This often leads to the idea that “wine days = Western food.” While some people frequently enjoy Western cuisine, for Japanese people who enjoy a variety of home-cooked dishes from Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines, an ideal wine would complement all these styles.
That’s why we recommend Japanese wine. Many Japanese wines are made from indigenous varieties like Koshu and Muscat Bailey A, which are said to pair well with ingredients grown in Japan (the theory being that foods grown in the same place go well together). Of course, Japanese wines made from international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot also pair well because they are grown in the same land. To be a bit more specific, Japanese wines generally have delicate and elegant aromas, flavors, and intensity. They don’t overpower the food and enhance many ingredients and seasonings.
Moreover, the citrus aromas often found in wine can have Japanese-style notes like yuzu or kabosu, and some varieties like Muscat Bailey A and Pinot Noir can even evoke the umami of dashi broth. They rarely clash with the fishy taste of seafood, making them excellent with sashimi, sushi, and dashi-based dishes. Just as sake can have aromas reminiscent of melon or pineapple, the fruitiness and subtle sweetness of Japanese wine complement dishes rather than compete with them. It’s no exaggeration to say that Japanese wine is the only wine that can effortlessly handle Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes alike. This is another reason to enjoy Japanese wine in everyday life.
A Wide Variety to Enjoy Choosing From
When you think of Japanese wine, you might picture Koshu or Muscat Bailey A, but nowadays wines are made from many varieties. Familiar Japanese varieties include Concord, Campbell Early, Niagara, Delaware, Bailey Alicante A, Black Queen, Red Millennium, Kai Noir, and Bijou Noir. In addition, many wines are made from internationally popular varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Petit Verdot, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, and Kerner. You can choose from typical red and white wines, as well as rosé, orange wine, a wide range of sparkling wines, sweet wines, and even natural wines (vin naturel). Even if you plan to enjoy one bottle every week, you won’t be able to cover all Japanese wines. The joy of choosing each time is also part of the charm of Japanese wine.
CWS’s Top 3 Recommended Japanese Wines!
Japanese wine is a wine you can enjoy casually. Here, CWS introduces Japanese wines that are perfect for casual everyday enjoyment. Each wine offers excellent cost performance and high quality!
Sansan Winery / Kakizawa Rosé 2024
Sansan Winery is a popular winery located in Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture. The “Kakizawa Rosé 2024” is a rosé wine made from 100% Merlot harvested from their own vineyard. It features a beautiful salmon-pink color typical of direct pressing and a charming cherry-like aroma. It has a soft attack with sweet and sour flavors, and the acidity is clean and well-balanced. It pairs well with tomato sauce pasta, as well as home-cooked dishes like Bang Bang Chicken and crab cream croquettes, making it easy to enjoy daily. It also goes well with horse sashimi, so give it a try.
Sansan Winery / Kakizawa Rosé 2024 – 2,200 yen (tax included)
Edel Wine / Grüner Veltliner Sparkling 2024
Edel Wine is a prestigious winery in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture. This bottle stands out visually with its lemon-yellow wine and blue label. The grape variety is Grüner Veltliner, a major Austrian variety, making this a rare type of white wine in Japan. The vines were gifted from Berndorf, Austria, and the wine was cultivated, harvested, and produced in Japan. It is a dry sparkling wine with aromas of ripe citrus and white flowers, featuring refreshing acidity and minerality. This crisp dry sparkling wine pairs excellently with seafood. It’s a versatile wine that goes well with sushi, sashimi, seafood marinades, and grilled fish. Try it with Chinese dishes like chop suey or steamed fish with thick sauce.
Edel Wine / Grüner Veltliner Sparkling 2024 – 2,420 yen (tax included)
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery / Hi Ake
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery is one of Japan’s leading wineries. “Hi Ake” is a wine that fits well with everyday dining and daily life. This red wine features a brilliant scarlet color with rich aromas and a balanced astringency. It offers a soft mouthfeel, sharp acidity, and complexity, making it an excellent value. The charming aromas of strawberry, cherry, and candy are complemented by complex scents of iris flowers, pepper, and nutmeg, which are signs of a high-quality red wine. It pairs well with home-cooked dishes featuring sweet sauces like teriyaki chicken and hamburg steak, as well as yakitori with sauce, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba.
Hiroshima Miyoshi Winery / Hi Ake – 1,760 yen (tax included)
Summary
Japanese wine is an excellent value wine that you can enjoy every day. Now that the year-end and New Year holidays are over and you’ve returned to your usual routine, why not brighten your everyday dining table with Japanese wine?
