With the real summer beginning, many people are probably thinking about sending summer gifts to those who have been taking care of them regularly.
Japanese wine is perfect for summer gifts such as mid-year gifts and summer greetings.
"CRAFT WINE SHOP" introduces Japanese wines recommended for such summer gifts.
Not only are they high quality, but all are boxed and suitable for gifts.
If you are considering Japanese wine for summer gifts, please use this as a reference.
Three recommended Japanese wines for summer gifts!
This time, CWS introduces three Japanese wines recommended for summer gifts divided by price range.
- [5,000 yen or less] Asahi Town Wine / Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A
- [5,000 yen or more, 10,000 yen or less] Tsuno Wine / Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022
- [10,000 yen or more] Iwanohara Vineyard / Zenbei 2022
Let's introduce the price, wine information, and reasons for recommendation. Of course, all wines come with a box and are suitable for gifts.
Asahi Town Wine / Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A *With box
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The first Japanese wine perfect for summer gifts recommended by CWS is Asahi Town Wine's "Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A."
Asahi Town Wine is a winery located in Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, producing wines that pursue rich and flavorful aromas.
They are particular about Japan's unique grape varieties such as Muscat Bailey A, and their quality is highly regarded. This is why we recommend the "Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A."
- High cost performance
- Easy to drink even for beginners
- Easy to pair with Japanese cuisine
The price of this wine is for a bottle carefully crafted using Muscat Bailey A contract-grown in Asahi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, with cold maceration to maximize the fruit flavor.
Furthermore, despite thoroughly focusing on quality, such as aging in French wine barrels, the price is 3,862 yen including tax.
From wine fans to beginners, it is characterized by being easy to use for mid-year gifts and summer greetings. It features the gorgeous aroma of Muscat Bailey A, flavors of red fruits such as raspberries and wild strawberries, and complex nuances derived from the barrel, while the tannins are fine-textured, making it easy to drink even for beginners.
Because it has complexity and smokiness beyond just fruit sweetness and delicate tannins, it pairs well with strong Japanese dishes such as grilled chicken, grilled eel with sauce, and sweet and spicy sukiyaki, allowing for a wide range of pairings.
The vintage is 2021, so it is at its best drinking time, but if stored in ideal conditions, it can still be aged for several more years.
Asahimachi Wine / Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A
3,862 yen including tax
Click here for the product page!
Tsuno Wine / Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022 *with box
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"Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022" brewed by the long-established winery "Tsuno Wine" in Miyazaki Prefecture.
As the name Prestige suggests, it is a special Chardonnay of the highest quality of the same wine.
Speaking of Tsuno Wine, it is a prestigious winery that has won many awards at wine competitions such as the "Decanter World Wine Awards."
Among them, Campbell Early wine is famous, but to express the Tsuno-like taste in Chardonnay as well, Chardonnay is cultivated and brewed under thorough management.
The wine introduced this time costs 6,600 yen including tax, making it a one-rank-above Japanese wine recommended for gifts.
Let me tell you again why this wine is recommended as a summer gift.
- Japan's top-class Chardonnay
- An appearance full of special feeling
- A presence that delights your loved ones
"Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022" is a bottle made only from Chardonnay harvested in the best vineyard called "Field No. 6."
The Chardonnay is harvested by night harvest, undergoes low-temperature skin contact, and only high-quality juice is fermented in French oak barrels.
The barrel use mainly consists of Nouvelle barrels, with a 75% new barrel ratio combined with 1-year barrels, fermenting for about 3 weeks at 13 to 15 degrees.
Furthermore, it undergoes lactic acid fermentation, 8 months of barrel aging with sur lie, and 1 year of bottle aging, making it the pinnacle Chardonnay of Tsuno Wine, packed with overwhelming dedication.
Because they are important people, I want to give them wonderful Japanese wine. Japan's top-class Chardonnay, admired even by wine connoisseurs, is perfect as a summer gift.
Also, the bottle shape is unique, and the label is simple yet stylish. It not only adds luxury to the dining table but also has an appearance that makes you want to collect it.
By the way, it is recommended to serve wine at a temperature between 10 and 14°C, not too cold, and it pairs excellently with Western-style dishes such as oyster gratin, meunière of white fish, and charcuterie like prosciutto. It is a perfect wine for summer gifts, easy to use for celebrations and festive occasions during summer holidays when people gather.
Tsunoh Wine / Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022
Including tax, 6,600 yen
Click here for the product page!
Iwanohara Vineyard / Zenbei 2022
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The top-tier red wine "Zenbei 2022" produced by the long-established Niigata winery Iwanohara Vineyard is priced at 16,500 yen including tax, making it no exaggeration to say it is one of the finest Japanese wines.
Iwanohara Vineyard is known as the birthplace of Japan's unique grape varieties such as Muscat Bailey A, founded by Zenbei Kawakami, who is called the father of Japanese wine grapes.
"Zenbei 2022" is a wine named after its founder and holds strong sentimental value for the winery. It is an impeccable Japanese wine as a summer gift for someone special.
The reasons why CWS recommends "Zenbei 2022" as a summer gift are as follows.
- A bottle filled with a special story
- Thorough commitment and quality
- A presence that conveys feelings
"Zenbei 2022" is, as the name suggests, a red wine from the 2022 vintage.
However, "Zenbei" is not made every year and is known as a rare wine produced only in the best vintages.
Iwanohara Vineyard decided to name the wine "Zenbei" only when various favorable conditions align and an exceptionally good wine is bottled, as a tribute of gratitude and respect to Zenbei.
Although the first vintage was in 1986, the 2022 vintage is said to be only the sixth release. This precious wine, made only six times in over 135 years of history since the founding, is perfect as a gift for someone special.
In 2022, due to significant temperature differences during the harvest season, the grape berries and clusters were small, resulting in extremely high-quality grapes. By thoroughly limiting the harvest volume, they obtained grapes with a floral aroma and concentrated flavor, and by using only carefully selected berries for fermentation, they uncompromisingly achieved the quality of "Zenbei."
The blend is a perfect balance of 71% Muscat Bailey A, 23% Black Queen, and 6% Bailey Alicante.
One of the features of this wine is that it is a uniquely Japanese red wine made entirely from hybrid grapes. It is an elegant red wine that combines all the ideal elements of a red wine: rich fruitiness, pleasant acidity, and barrel-derived tannins that provide volume and texture.
Because this wine was made with gratitude and respect for the founder Zenbei Kawakami, why not express your appreciation to someone special by gifting it?
Iwanohara Vineyard / Zenbei 2022
Including tax: 16,500 yen
Click here for the product page!
Summary
Summer is a season with many opportunities to express gratitude to important people, such as with Ochugen gifts, summer greetings, and late summer greetings. Many people also take advantage of long holidays to visit their loved ones. At such times, please consider gifting the recommended Japanese wines introduced here as summer gifts. All products come with gift boxes. For summer gifts, Japanese wine is the way to go. Please use this as a reference.
