After the natural wine event in Hong Kong I thought it would be a great time to write a quick post about Vitis Labrusca and it's impact on the Japanese wine industry.
Some of the most prized grapes in Japan were Kyoho and Shine Muscat, Japan's grape growing industry is still much more famous that their wine industry, so it makes sense that grapes are seen to be eaten than drunk.
Vitis Labrusca grapes are typically grown on a pergola system for aeration and yield's sake.
Initially Labrusca vines were grown due to their diversity, they were able to be produced as wines as well as sold as grapes.
When made into a wine, the aromas are incredibly powerful and fruity as the grapes already have a lot of flavor before needing fermentation to bring out the flavors, which is different to Vitis Vinifera grapes where the flavors are co-factors in grapes which need the fermentation process to express it's true character.
Kyoho and Nagano
Kyoho is a very interesting grape variety. Previously in Nagano, Kyoho was famous and prized for it's ability to create extremely delicious table grapes. However, due to the inception of Shine Muscat, the popularity has dwindled, leaving a lot of Kyoho growers in Nagano unsure of what to do.
This has lead to a few producers to try and promote Kyoho as a wine grape. When fermented the Kyoho gives off a smoky characteristic.
Each Producer I am currently importing from Nagano actually makes a Kyoho wine.
Domaine Nakajima creates a deeply flavoured Pet-nat from Kyoho, the grapes are macerated and foot stomped to add flavor to the wines. The grapes are also dried in order to create more intensity of flavor. It is recommended that the grapes are
Aperture Farm Makes a still red, the wine distinctly has a gamay-like quality as Tanabe uses the famed carbonic maceration technique to replicate it's aroma and body. The results are uncanny.
Nagomi Vineyards uses some of his Pinot noir and chardonnay to blend with his Kyoho and Nagano purple. This creates an extremely balanced and elegant wine, with very precise pinot like wine with light effervescence.
