With the real summer beginning, many people are probably thinking about sending summer gifts to those who have been kind to them throughout the year.
Japanese wine is perfect for summer gifts like mid-year gifts and summer greetings.
At "CRAFT WINE SHOP," we introduce Japanese wines recommended for summer gifts.
Not only are they high quality, but all come with boxes suitable for gifts.
If you are considering Japanese wine for a summer gift, please use this as a reference.
Three Japanese wines recommended for summer gifts!
This time, CWS introduces three Japanese wines recommended as summer gifts, divided by price range.
- [Under 5,000 yen] Asahimachi Wine / Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A
- [Between 5,000 and 10,000 yen] Tsuno Wine / Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022
- [Over 10,000 yen] Iwanohara Vineyard / Zenbei 2022
Let's introduce the price, wine information, and reasons for recommendation. Of course, all wines come with boxes and are suitable for gifts.
Asahimachi Wine / Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A *with box
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The first Japanese wine recommended by CWS as a perfect summer gift is Asahimachi Wine's "Meister Selection Cuvée Muscat Bailey A."
Asahimachi Wine is a winery located in Asahimachi, Yamagata Prefecture, producing wines that pursue rich and flavorful aromas.
They are committed to Japanese native grape varieties like Muscat Bailey A, which are highly regarded for their quality. 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
This wine uses Muscat Bailey A grown under contract in Asahimachi, Yamagata Prefecture, and is carefully made using cold maceration to maximize the fruit flavor.
Furthermore, despite the thorough focus on quality, including aging in French wine barrels, the price is 3,862 yen including tax.
It is easy to use for summer gifts or mid-summer greetings, appealing to both wine fans and beginners. The Muscat Bailey A offers a floral aroma with flavors of red fruits like raspberry and wild strawberry, along with complex barrel-derived nuances, while the fine tannins make it easy to drink even for beginners.
With complexity and smokiness beyond just fruity sweetness, and delicate tannins, it pairs well with robust Japanese dishes like grilled chicken skewers, grilled eel, and sweet-savory sukiyaki, offering a wide range of pairing options.
The vintage is 2021, so it is ready to drink, 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" is produced by Tsuno Wine, a long-established winery in Miyazaki Prefecture.
As the name "Prestige" suggests, this is a special Chardonnay of the highest quality from this wine.
Tsuno Wine is a prestigious winery known for winning numerous awards at wine competitions such as the Decanter World Wine Awards.
While Campbell Early wines are famous, Chardonnay is cultivated and brewed under strict management to express the unique flavor of Tsuno.
The wine introduced this time is priced at 6,600 yen including tax, making it a premium Japanese wine recommended for gifts.
Let us tell you again why this wine is recommended as a summer gift.
- One of Japan's top-class Chardonnays
- An appearance full of special feeling
- A presence that will delight your loved ones
"Prestige Chardonnay Tsuno 2022" is a bottle made exclusively from Chardonnay harvested in the best vineyard known as "Block 6."
Chardonnay is harvested during the night harvest, undergoes skin contact at low temperatures, and only the highest quality juice is fermented in French oak barrels.
The barrels used are mainly from Nouvelle, with 75% new barrels combined with 1-year-old barrels, and fermentation takes place at 13 to 15 degrees Celsius for about 3 weeks.
Furthermore, this is Tsununo Wine’s top Chardonnay, featuring lactic acid fermentation, 8 months of barrel aging with sur lie, and 1 year of bottle aging, packed with overwhelming dedication.
Because they are important people, you want to give them wonderful Japanese wine. This top-class Japanese 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. This wine pairs excellently with Western-style dishes like oyster gratin, meunière of white fish, and charcuterie such as prosciutto. It is a perfect summer gift wine for celebrations and festive occasions during summer holidays when people gather.
Tsununo Wine / Prestige Chardonnay Tsununo 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" from the long-established Niigata winery Iwanohara Vineyard is priced at 16,500 yen including tax, making it one of the highest-ranking Japanese wines.
Iwanohara Vineyard is known as the birthplace of Japan’s unique grape varieties like 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 for a summer gift to someone important.
Here are the reasons why CWS recommends "Zenbei 2022" as a summer gift.
- A bottle filled with a special story
- Thorough commitment and quality
- A presence that conveys heartfelt feelings
"Zenbei 2022" is, as the name suggests, a red wine from the 2022 vintage.
However, "Zenbei" is not produced every year; it is known as a precious wine made only in the best vintages.
Iwanohara Vineyard decided to name the wine "Zenbei" only when exceptional conditions aligned and an outstanding wine was bottled, as a tribute of gratitude and respect to Zenbei.
Although the first vintage was in 1986, the 2022 vintage is reportedly only the sixth release. This rare wine, made only six times in over 135 years of history, is perfect as a gift for someone special.
The 2022 vintage had a large temperature difference during the harvest season, resulting in small grape berries and clusters, allowing for the harvest of extremely high-quality grapes. By strictly limiting the harvest volume, they obtained grapes with a floral aroma and concentrated flavor, and then used only carefully selected berries for fermentation, achieving uncompromising quality for "Zenbei."
The blend is a perfect balance of 71% Muscat Bailey A, 23% Black Queen, and 6% Bailey Alicante.
A distinctive feature 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, volume, and barrel-derived tannins that create texture.
This wine was made with gratitude and respect for the founder, Zenbei Kawakami, so 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 full of opportunities to express gratitude to important people through gifts like Ochugen, summer greetings, and late summer greetings. Many people also take advantage of long holidays to visit their loved ones. At such times, why not consider giving Japanese wine recommended here as a summer gift? All products come with gift boxes. For summer gifts, Japanese wine is the way to go. Please use this as a reference.
