At the Ultimo Wine Centre’s Saké Tasting, we had the opportunity to sample Grace Wines from Japan.
Grace Wine is situated in Katsunama, Yamanashi near Mount Fuji in Japan. Their wine production is relatively young, dating back to 1923. They use traditional grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot as well as lesser known varieties such as Koshu, a Japanese native grape and Muscat Bailey.
Grace Kayagatake Koshu Blanc 2008 (left) is a citrusy and perfumed white, a pleasant light wine that spells out summer. We loved the Grace Chardonnay 2008 (right), a blend of Chardonnays from two different vineyards with soft oak finishes.
Grace Kayagatake Rouge 2007 (left) comes from a vineyard located at foot of Mount Kayagatake. A blend of Muscat Bailey A, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot that makes a medium bodied wine with berry notes.
Cuvée Misawa Rouge 2006 (right) is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc aged in oak for 14 months. This is a wine with great potential for cellaring.
Overall, an impressive range of wines and a great opportunity to learn a little about their viniculture. Now we’re no longer limited to Saké and local beers when we next visit Japan.
More information:
- Grace Wine (in English)
Good to know – I didn’t even realize they made any wine at all in Japan. When we were there we did a lot of whisky, sake and cocktails. Guess I’ll have to go back now…. 🙂
Forest, definitely worth a trip to Japan to do more investigating… 🙂
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I have just visited Yamanashi and am drinking a bottle of Grace Kayagatake Rouge 2010 and despite being very young it is quite nice and well made. I am surprised and expectations have definitely been surpassed!
Apparently, the reds improve a lot with ageing. It would be great to try one that’s been laid down for a few years. Thank you for your comment!