Koshu Wine: A 1300-Year Journey
Written by David Ellis

For thirteen centuries, a temple, deeply connected to Japanese viticulture, has stoodwatch over the Koshu Valley. After having a vision of the Buddha of healing holding ahandful of grapes, Gyoki, a great priest, made a statue of the Buddha and founded
Daizen-ji Temple in 718 AD. According to local legend, Gyoki cultivated the land forvineyards and taught the locals how to grow grapes.
Grapes, which are not native to Japan, almost certainly arrived in the island nation via
the Silk Road through China during the Tang Dynasty. DNA analyses have revealed thatthe modern “Koshu” grape of Japan is actually a hybrid of grapes found in theCaucuses region near the Caspian Sea and wild varieties found in China.
Due to Japan’s geographic isolation, and its deliberate isolationist policy from1603-1868, more than a millennium passed before the Japanese began to try theirhands at winemaking. In fact, if a 300-strong band of samurai had not lost the battle ofKoshu-Katsunuma, a key battle of Japan’s Boshin Civil War of 1868-1869, Japan mighthave remained isolated far longer than it did. As fate would have it, the imperial force’s
complete rout of the samurai meant it was only a matter of time before Japan would
once again open to the world.
Less than a decade after the defeat of the samurai at the battle of Koshu-Katsunuma,
which incidentally was fought just a stone's throw away from Daizen-ji Temple, two
young men left the Koshu Valley to study the art of winemaking in Troyes, theChampagne region of Northern France. What an adventure it must have been for two
young Japanese men, speaking not a word of French between them, to leave theshores of a country that had been closed to the outside world for more than 260 years.
Fast forward some 140 years to the interior of an ultra-modern express train that left
the futuristic cityscape of Tokyo just 90 minutes before. As you emerge from the lastserpentine train tunnel, making your way from Tokyo into the Koshu Valley, yousuddenly plunge into vast swathes of lush vineyards that seem to creep from the valley
floor to the mountains overhead. On countless occasions, as I sat peering through mywindow onboard such a train, I felt a deep longing to explore the countless vineyards,
and more than 30 local wineries, on foot. Anyone who loves to explore knows thatwalking is the best way to get an intimate knowledge of place, so after years oflonging, I’ve made that daydream a reality. Please enjoy my full-day plan for walking inJapan’s premier winery region.
Marufuji Winery
Marufuji Winery’s tasting room, with its rich wooden interior, has a rustic-modern charmthat focuses your senses on the task at hand. The winery’s trademark is “Rubaiyat.”
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his 1859
translation from Persian to English of a selection of quatrains, stanzas of four lines,attributed to Omar Khayyám (1048–1131), a Persian mathematician, astronomer andpoet. By the 1880s, the book was extremely well known throughout the Englishspeaking world, to the extent that numerous “Omar Khayyam Clubs” were formed. In
fact, a fabulous bejewelled edition of the Rubáiyát ended up aboard the ill-fated RMSTitanic.
Art thou a weary, friend, in all thy bones?
Drink wine, red wine, and so forget thy groans;
Wine is unlawful, sayst thou? then say I-Who loves not wine had best, I think, eat stones.
By Omar Khayyám
The winery, established in 1890, has converted its old stone fermentation tanks into awine cellar. If you look closely at the walls of the cellar, you will see tartaric acid crystals
which are romantically referred to as “wine diamonds.” It seems fitting that although
the bejewelled edition of the Rubáiyát rests at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean,diamonds have been hidden in wine since time immemorial.
Recommendations:
Rubaiyat Kôshu Sur Lie (2016):
Fermented in glass-lined tanks and aged on the lees for 7 months, this dry white wine has a charming
aroma of citrus, a crisp clean taste, and a faint sweetness of dried fruits. It is best served chilled withJapanese cuisine or lightly salted seafood.
Rubaiyat Kôshu Barrel Aged (2017):
Fermented in glass-lined tanks and aged in French oak barrels for 7 months, this dry white wine has anaroma of butterscotch and honey, the flavor of fruits, and soft acidity. It is best served with fatty sashimi
and other seafood dishes.
Rubaiyat Muscat Bailey A (2017)
This medium-body red wine is made from a Japanese hybrid grape. It is fermented in stainless steeltanks, and then aged in French and American oak barrels for 8 months. The wine has an aroma ofcandied red berries, and caramel, along with fruit flavors. This wine goes well with charcuterie and light
salads.

After you have had your tour and tasting, walk downhill from Marufuji Winery and follow
the narrow path to the left. This path will lead you through vineyards and across anarrow bridge that crosses a busy road. Continue walking downhill until you reach thenext winery on your itinerary.
Lumière Winery
Lumière winery, founded in 1885, is the oldest family-owned winery in Japan, and has
been operating continuously for over 130 years. Its ishigura (granite wine tanks) dateback to 1901 and its wine cellar dates back to 1902. Members of the public canparticipate in Lumière’s annual stone-tank winemaking event held in mid-September.
The event begins with a traditional Shinto blessing, of course.
In addition, Zelkova, the French restaurant at Lumière, has a delicious FrenchJapanese menu. I say French-Japanese as the cuisine is definitely French, but thefresh ingredients are locally sourced. For example, you may find bamboo shoots or
shiitake mushrooms in among other more-recognizably French ingredients.
Make sure to walk around the winery to view the many traditional Japanese homes andpergola-style (trellised) vineyards. Due to the relatively high amount of rainfall insummer, which can potentially cause rot, pergola-style vineyards account for 95% of
the vineyards in the Koshu Valley. Only recently have vineyards been planted using theguyot (vertical shoot positioning) method.
Recommendations:Lumière Koshu Hikari (2017):
This white wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks, and aged for 6 months on the lees. It is a dry winewith a fruity citrus aroma and mineral notes. This is a food-friendly wine, pairing especially well withJapanese salt-seasoned seafood and yakitori (skewered chicken).
Prestige Class Orangé (2016):
This white wine employs the Carbonic Maceration Method of fermenting the juice of the grapes with theirskins for 2 weeks, and aging in oak barrels. It has a deep orange color and the flavors of apricot, bananaand ripe melon with a textured complex palate and finish. It pairs well with pork, seafood such as salmonroe, and traditional Japanese food.

Katsunuma Jyozo Winery
The walk from Lumière Winery to Katsunuma Jyozo Winery is truly spectacular. Scanthe sea of trellised vineyards for glimpses of traditional architecture and locals tending
to their vines. As this winery’s tasting room is next to the road, don’t forget to checkthe custom-made manhole covers depicting clusters of grapes forged in iron.
Katsunuma Jyozo Winery’s tasting room is housed in a 140-year-old Japanesemerchant’s house from the Meiji era (1868-1912). Enjoy the old-world charm of its kura(traditional storage house) with its barrel display and its collection of wineglasses.
Better yet, relax on the winery’s terrace and admire the vineyards with innumerable
rolling mountains in the distance. This is the perfect place to stroll along the narrowroads that meander through seemingly endless vineyards.
Recommendations:Aruga Branca Issehara (2016)
This single-vineyard dry white wine from Issehara is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. In
addition to having a gorgeous bouquet of peaches and lime, it has a distinct floral aroma. This wine has

an elegant impression giving rise to its unique personality. It is best served with Japanese cuisine orlightly salted seafood.
Aruga Branca Pipa (2015)
This dry white wine is fermented in French oak barrels for 6 months, and then aged in the bottle for 2years. The wine has a soft lemon and floral scent with rich oak barrel aroma. It has balanced acidity and asmooth finish. It is best served with fatty sashimi and other seafood dishes.

MGVs WineryAs you walk along the narrow vineyard roads towards MGVs Winery, the last winery on
your itinerary, you will inevitably meet the local farmers who seem to genuinely
welcome the presence of tourists. The first thing they want to know is where you are
from, then they want to tell you about their vineyards and maybe which wineries use
their grapes. As these types of interactions are at the heart of alternative tourism,
despite the language barrier, just jump right in.
When you arrive at MGVs Winery, you will be welcomed into a chic tasting room withmassive windows from which to view the daily operations of the winery. This winery,opened in 2017, is the creation of a semiconductor manufacturer who also has deeproots in local viticulture. When competition from cheaper semiconductor producers
became too fierce, the president of the company turned to his family’s traditional
vocation, viticulture. However, unlike his forefathers, he wasn’t happy to just growgrapes. Thus, MGVs Winery was born.
Recommendations:
K131 Shimokawakubo (2016)
This dry white wine which is pale yellow with a slightly grey hue, has a bouquet of ripe grapefruit, quince,
pear preserves, honeysuckle, and herbs. It has a mellow fruity taste, balanced acidity, and its impression
persists to a lingering finish. It is best served with Japanese cuisine or lightly salted seafood.
B153 Shimoiwasaki (2016)
This medium-body red wine which is a pale ruby color, has a harmonious bouquet with the scent of black
muscat, blackcurrant preserves, strawberry candy, violets, faint cinnamon, and vanilla. It has a mellow
fruit taste, with well balanced acidity, and soft elegant tannins. Its impression persists to a lingering finish.
It has been aged in French & American oak barrels for 6 months. This wine goes well with charcuterieand light salads.