Japan Trip - Katsunuma Wine Country

Katsunuma is the wine country in Japan.
You mostly find Japanese varietals there such as Koshu or Muscat Bailey A, but some wineries make French varietals, too.

Koshu is Japanese white wine grape varietal which is a natural hybrid of Vitis Vinifera.
It's believed to be introduced to Japan from Europe through the Silk Road during the Nara Era (710~794).
Koshu wine reminds me of Sauvignon Blanc with softer acid.

Muscat Bailey A is a hybrid created to suit with Japanese soil and climate.
It is a cross between American and European varietals.

We visited Grace Wine first, and tried all the wines on the list.

None of them disappointed us.
Their Koshu were great, and we especially liked these two.

These wines are from the same vineyard but the one is oaked and the other is not.

They also make estate wine with French varietals: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.

We both loved Merlot.
JC liked Cabernet Sauvignon, too. He thought it was classic style and reminded him of Graves.

We didn't know where to go next, so we asked for their recommendation about good wineries nearby (good wineries know where to recommend, from my experience).
They told us to visit two wineries in the walking distance: Diamond Shuzo for Muscat Bailey A, and Ikeda Winery for Koshu.

the vines are trained high to avoid water damage

Katsunuma has beautiful scenery and it was a beautiful sunny day so we  enjoyed the walk, but when we arrived at Diamond Shuzo, they were closed for lunch break...
It was quite shocking to me because I was really really looking forward to trying good Muscat Bailey A, but I didn't have time to wait until they opened so we went to Ikeda Winery.

Ikeda Winery has small but nice and clean tasting room.

The lady looked puzzled at first (later I learned that I was supposed to make an appointment in advance. Sorry!) , but as we enjoyed their stunning Koshu and asked questions, she became more lively and enthusiastic.

I confess that I wasn't expecting to enjoy Japanese wines so much before, but those wines were great!
JC still regret that he didn't buy a bottle. After long walk, he wasn't thinking clearly.

Before leaving Katsunuma, we had to try their local cuisine.
This is the Houtou restaurant Minaki.

hang bitter persimmon to make them sweet

The building was cool, but the people there were even cooler!
I told them that we had to catch the train in one hour, and they not only tried to hurry to prepare our food, but also they arranged taxi so that we could be at the station on time!

Thanks to their thoughtful action, we enjoyed our meal without worry.

Houtou is flat noodle cooked in Miso, I love these comfort food.

view from the station

Then we were back to hectic tourist life in Tokyo by late afternoon.