Château Mercian, Koshu Sur Lie

Description

The Koshu Valley is one of the few regions in Japan where wine is produced at a great quality, most of the country’s wineries are based in this area (over ⅓ of the output).

In 1949, the winery Château Mercian was founded as simply “Mercian” and it spearheaded the transition from sweeter wines to more sophisticated dry wines in Japan. While sweeter wines were the preference in the 1940s and 1950s, there was a push toward the global taste for dry wines in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Today, Château Mercian has vineyards and wineries all over Japan and is one of the most well-known wine brands in the country.

The varietal of Koshu is a popular grape in the region but is unknown of its true origin, most likely an Eastern European grape that migrated via trade and plantings whilst others suggest the grape was found growing wild in Japan. Koshu has a pink, cotton candy like hue and thick skins which enable the grape to do well in humid and rainy environments. Uniquely, Koshu is grown with paper ‘hats’, covering each bunch as a protection from monsoon rainfall. 

Koshu provides a very clean and delicate style of wine, reminiscent of jasmine or pear. It is aged ‘Sur Lie’, meaning that up until bottling, the wine is aged on deposits of its dead yeast and sugar providing a balancing richness (just like typically found in Muscadet wines).

Grapes: Koshu

750 ml

11% ABV

Contains Sulfites.