Move over Sake
When I first heard that my uncle, who lives in Chiba-ken, was working in the wine business I was a bit dubious.
Hmmm.... Wine? In Japan?
I had good reason to be skeptical. In 1997, during my grand tour of northern Japan, a family friend from Akita-ken took me to a local winery for a tasting. I could barely swallow the sip that I took. It was sharp and acrid with a bouquet of kerosene. It tasted as if someone had simply made a cocktail by mixing rubbing alcohol and grape juice.
Anne Pinckard has published an intriguing overview of Japan's wine industry over at Chanpon. (I never would have thought to pair my sushi with champagne.) But don't get your hopes raised too high—your local enoteca may not even know such a product exists. If it does, send Pinckard the tip.