BENGALURU: Japanese wine, I thought, I would miss most when I moved to Bengaluru in July last year. But much to my surprise, I found a lot of similarity between wine, like Nagano from Japan, and ones available in Bengaluru. Here, there are two popular wineries, Grover Zampa and Kadu, which brew good Indian brands of wine. It may sound off-beat, but according to me they pair well with South Indian dishes and snacks, like Mangalore Vada and Kodbale. I say this only after having tried it out at the wineries.
Japanese wine is brewed using local-produced grapes. They are made from a wide variety of grapes, including raw eatable grapes and wine grapes. The wine has a delicate taste, which of course goes well Japanese and western dishes. Our wine pairs particularly well with fish – pomfret tawa fry), which also includes the Indian preparation styles.
Grapes used for brewing Japanese wine can be divided into two main categories. One, that is cultivated in Japan for a long time, or grapes developed in Japan. The major ones are Muscat Berry A for red wine and Koshu for white wine. The other category are grapes which are imported from Europe and the United States, which have come to be able to grow in Japan after much trial and error. The main breeds are Merlot for red wine, Chardonnay for white wine, and Delaware from North America.
Japanese wine is produced across the country but the main production regions are Hokkaido, Yamagata Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, and Yamanashi Prefecture. In Hokkaido, where the climate is cool, grapes are mainly cultivated in the western Shiribeshi region, the Sorachi/Kamikawa region, including Furano, and the Tokachi region in the eastern region. Wine is mainly produced from North American varieties there.
In Yamagata Prefecture, grapes are mainly cultivated in the southeastern Yamagata basin, Okitama basin (Yonezawa city is famous for beef), and the southern Shonai plain, which faces the Sea of Japan. Muscat Berry A, Delaware, Chardonnay, etc. are cultivated there.In Nagano Prefecture, wine grapes are mainly produced in three areas, and the cultivar differs in each area. Chardonnay is famous in the Chikuma River basin in the northeast. The Matsumoto Basin (including Matsumoto city famous for the castle) in the central part is home to excellent wineries of Sauvignon Blanc, derived from Europe. In Kikyogahara (around Shiojiri City), just on the south of Matsumoto basin, particularly good Merlot is cultivated.
Yamanashi prefecture is where the most wine is brewed in Japan. The production areas are concentrated in the Kofu basin in the central part of Japan, where Muscat Berry A, Koshu, and Delaware are mainly cultivated. On the other hand, in the northwest area, wine is brewed from varieties of grapes derived from Europe such as Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are several good Japanese restaurants in Bengaluru, Matsuri and Azuki, which I frequent regularly. Every time I miss home, I go back to these places to enjoy some sake, which is getting popular among Bengalureans, as the network of Japanese in the city has been growing. In fact, at programmes organised by our Consulate, we have served a sampling of sake, which has got a good response. Japanese wine has a fruity taste, which is similar to that of Bengaluru wine. I’m hoping more varities are available in Bengaluru sooner than later.