Japanese wine

Viticulture in Japan has a long tradition. Wild grape vines the kind of " rust red vine " ( ' Vitis coignetiae '), come in Japan and Korea in the nature of trees growing in front. This type is not particularly suitable for the production of wine. During the time in which the phylloxera decimated European vineyards, Japan exported even though wine from this grape.

In Japan, the wine has a long tradition at least since the 12th century. This had two purposes

• He served for the production of raisins, which were one of the few available sweetener because sugar was not invented yet
• As a beverage within the meaning of today's wine it was made by Buddhist monks for medicinal purposes.

In the place Ikeda is a Research Institute for Viticulture and Enology, the tourists also disseminates information on the Japanese viticulture and wine own plots operates.

Viticulture in the Western sense did not develop until after the opening of Japan in the 19th century.

In Mundelsheim the winery Heinrich Hamm is run as an honorary citizen who has lived in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, as he had brought the wine to Japan - a historically not entirely comprehensible claim, at least he has but made ​​known to the methods of the German wine growing in Japan.

In Japan, it is concerned with initial success with gene transfer between grape varieties, from which one to reduce the development time of new varieties to 1/10 promises to be. Also other technical process, is more open to than traditional wine-growing nations.

The cultivated varieties in Japan are both European, American and Asian varieties that are grown nowhere else in such a broad mix. Especially sweet white wines are produced, consumed almost exclusively in the country itself.

Traditionally, the cultivation of dedicated for dry, fruity white wine from Koshu grape in 1186 at the foot of Mount Fuji, west of Tokyo is busy.

Originally the wine was made in Japan in the form of pergolas, which are now also partly still to be found. The Japanese climate is not particularly favorable for viticulture. Contributing cold winter and rain in summer. In Japan, only a few areas for viticulture offer. Certain areas in Japan are recognized by the government as " special areas for the development of the wine industry." Wine is subject to a tax on wine in Japan.

Import and Export

Nowadays, however, Japan is more likely as one of the major importers among others also German wines. In 2008, the Japanese were on the export statistics of Germany with 14.2 million euros in 9th place, rather higher quality wines were sold in trade with Japan, which achieved an average price of 159 € / hl. German wine in Japan has traditionally been a particularly good reputation, especially Riesling. But even simple wines like " Oppenheimer toads fountain" find their customers in Japan.

On the import statistics of Japan, the situation for Germany does not look so good: from 1998 ( 17 million L for 8 billion yen. ) Decreased imports on 2003 7 million L for about 3 billion yen back. The German wine exporters are represented in Japan by a subsidiary of the German Wine Fund.

Wine is imported from Australia and all other traditional wine-producing countries.

Other alcoholic beverages in Japan

The traditional alcoholic drink in Japan is rice wine. Although sake is actually a general term for any form of alcohol, so that the rice wine is usually meant. There were regional differences in forms of Shōchū from barley or sweet potato, as well as the Umeshu, which is usually referred to as plum wine, although the Ume is more of an apricot.