SAKE MAP
Hokuriku & Koshinetsu / Types: Wine · Sake
Six drinks from Yamanashi, each with a snack that suits it and a short story behind the bottle.
Grace Koshu
A leading Katsunuma winery challenging the world with Japan's native "Koshu" grape. Its delicate, clear white wine has a refined elegance that gently accompanies Japanese cuisine. Highly rated at international competitions, it made the name of Japanese wine known worldwide. It quietly reflects the character of the land into a single glass.
Pairs with：Nigai (soy-simmered abalone) / Hoto (miso vegetable noodle stew)
Chateau Mercian
A pioneer of Japanese wine, said to continue from Meiji-era Katsunuma. Techniques cultivated over its long history yield a red wine of depth. It has earnestly pursued winemaking rooted in Japan's climate. The whole history of Japanese wine seems dissolved in a glass.
Pairs with：Torimotsu-ni (simmered chicken giblets) / Basashi (horse sashimi)
Lumiere
A historic Fuefuki winery said to be founded in the Meiji era. It's also known for preserving old-era fittings, like stone fermentation vats. Its hallmark is a rich, mellow taste that makes the most of local grapes. A bottle to savor slowly, weight of history and all.
Pairs with：Koshu wine beef / Nigai (soy-simmered abalone)
Shichiken
A representative Yamanashi sake brewed with the pristine water of the famed-water town of Hakushu. True to its elegant name, from the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove," its hallmark is a clear, poised taste. It's known as a brewery active in new challenges, like sparkling sake. A purity like drinking the Southern Alps' water straight.
Pairs with：Koshu jidori (free-range chicken) / Hoto (miso vegetable noodle stew)
Shunnoten
A bottle with a poetic name, "the song of the bush warbler heralding spring." It carries an elegant pedigree, said to have been named by the poet Yosano Akiko. Its mellow, gentle taste chimes well with the grace of the name. A sake to open quietly, as if awaiting the arrival of spring.
Pairs with：Hoto (miso vegetable noodle stew) / Basashi (horse sashimi)
Sasaichi
A generous Otsuki brewery blessed with Fuji's famed water, making both sake and wine. Its name derives from "a single drop of dew on a bamboo leaf," an auspicious bottle. Its crisp, poised taste accompanies a wide range of dishes. A refreshing sake nurtured by the clear water at the foot of Mt. Fuji.
Pairs with：Torimotsu-ni (simmered chicken giblets) / Hoto (miso vegetable noodle stew)