Konnichiwa, wine-lovers! Agus is maith an rud bheith ar ais! Yes, it’s good to be back- thanks for all your messages saying how much you missed the column last weekend whilst my darling wife, the illustrious Madame G., and I were in Tokyo meeting our beautiful new grand-daughter, Aira. And atin’, drinkin’, sightseein’ and generally loungin’ around. Temperatures on our 12-day trip ranged from 23 to 29 degrees- prolonged sunshine every day except the one where we had what turned out to be a very Irish picnic in a windy, rainy Kiba Park.
It wasn’t all fun and games. I put in several mighty shifts, drinking barrel-loads of sake, hoping to find just one to recommend. What I discovered was that while I loved sake in Japan, once I returned to our lovely home, Rose Cottage, I lost my appetite for it. Like ouzo in Greece, sake is best enjoyed in its native home.
Thankfully, my rigorous research didn’t end there. I also went to the bother of sampling many red, white and even orange Japanese wines so as to uncover just one to please even the pickiest of palates. I was particularly taken by orange wines from the Fuji region (actually made from white grapes). Skins are left on during fermentation, producing a much more robust wine than traditional whites. The presence of tannins and a grippy texture feel decidedly similar to red.
Alas, I’ve been unable to locate any local wine merchants who stock them. I’m not doing very well here, am I? Anyway, should you come across orange wine from Fuji yourselves, the advice is- get tore in!
Japanese whites tend to be upbeat and zesty with well-judged acidity and lots of crisp, refreshing lemon and yuzu flavours- a good example of which is Grace Koshi Hishiyama which you can get online from Wine Direct, Wine Republic or Ratcliffe and Co- about £25 to £30. Goes exceptionally well with seafood.
The many Japanese reds which I took the trouble to extensively sample on your behalf were mostly light to medium-bodied- delightfully easy-drinking, fruity and food-friendly with subtle spicing and refreshing acidity. Old World style. My personal favourite is pictured here with the lights of Tokyo blinking in the background. Name untranslatable. Nil desperandum, mes amis- you’ll find excellent selections of similar Japanese reds online at Fintry Wines or Great Wines Direct.
Brass tacks, folks- what to drink tonight? Well, there’s a German shop in most towns called Lidl who stock a wide range of wonderful wine from around the world at affordable prices. Given the colder weather, I’d suggest a full-bodied red alongside a slow-cooked, meaty casserole- today’s final selection is therefore the dark, decadent and rustic 2024 Hachon Ribera del Duero (£9.99, Lidl). This robust, complex Spanish red has pronounced cherry and blackberry flavours which yield to a magnificently lengthy, deftly spiced finish.
I’d planned to finish myself today with a joke about the highly distinctive roofs on Japanese houses but decided against it as it would probably go right over your heads. Boom boom! Until next week, a chairde, sláinte!