The Japanese are trying to get a foothold in the wine industry.
Sake is the most obvious drink that comes to mind when thinking of alcoholic drinks from Japan. However, the country's wine industry is currently undergoing a radical transformation, with a major project focusing on the local koshu grape, and New Zealander Glen Creasy is one of its key consultants.
Established in the mid-2000s by the Japan-based wine importer, Ernest Singer of Millesimes, the "Koshu Project" was an attempt to revitalise the Japanese agricultural industry. This was in a state of near crisis due to a lack of new young blood entering farming, explains Creasy, viticulturist for Sabrosia Winegrowing Services. Creasy - who also works for Lincoln University - has been providing viticultural expertise from near the start of the venture, along with other high-profile consultants such as the University of Bordeaux's Denis Dubourdieu.
"Singer decided to try to counter the stodgy image of agriculture by taking an ancient Japanese table grape variety, koshu, and making a high-quality wine out of it, which was particularly well-suited to Japanese cuisine," Creasy says. "Japanese-style cuisine has been growing in popularity, so there's a natural opportunity to make a wine that suits it from a variety with over a thousand year-history in the country, while also providing a potential market for those currently growing the grape and interest a younger generation in grape cultivation and wine-making."
Given Japan's extreme climate, with its freezing winters and ill-timed typhoons, it's not the most obvious place for growing grapes. However, the country has been cultivating the vine since the 8th century, with a modern industry dating from the 1870s when the government sent researchers to Europe to investigate winemaking and bring back vines.