Yamanashi Prefectural Government accompanied 14 wineries to London this week in support of efforts to market Japanese “Koshu” white wine, using the UK as a base for entry into the European market. This follows a very successful event last year where industry professionals were introduced to the region for the first time at events promoting the wine varieties as the ideal accompaniment to Japanese food such as sushi and sashimi, the wines being light and suited to food with a delicate and fresh taste. This year’s events centred around a two day wine tasting exhibition at the Imagination Galleries off Tottenham Court Road, where journalists and wine trade professionals could try the different varieties from Yamanashi Prefecture, produced from the indigenous “koshu” variety of grape.
Koshu is the historical name for the region, which has been growing grapes for over a thousand years, and producing wine for 120 years. The prefectural government is actively promoting the area as a wine region in collaboration with the Koshu of Japan Association (KOJ), a cooperative set up by wineries in the prefecture. Japan’s local authorities and regional government have a range of projects supporting marketing Japan’s regional produce and industries overseas, including traditional produce, as well as technology and manufactured goods for which Japan is already a world leader.
Jancis Robinson OBE MW, wine critic for the Financial Times, who is a consultant for KOJ held a tasting class at the Imagination Gallery with an exclusive range of wines from Yamanashi Prefecture. Jancis visited Yamanashi Prefecture in February 2010, and was so impressed with what she both saw and tasted during her time there, that she has been involved with efforts to introduce the wine to Europe. The wines which were presented were amongst those tasted by Jancis during her visit and were discussed in depth during the tasting.
More information on KOJ can be seen here, and an article on last year’s events from the Independent can be seen here
