3 Japan Winemakers Team Up to Win New Domestic Wine Fans

Tokyo, Oct. 21 (Jiji Press)--Three major Japanese winemakers said Wednesday that they will start a joint project to attract new fans of Japanese wines, including by holding events and fostering a culture of celebrating "nouveau" wines made from grapes harvested in the year.

Suntory Spirits Ltd., affiliated with Suntory Holdings Ltd., Manns Wine Co., a member of the Kikkoman Corp. group, and Mercian Corp., a unit of Kirin Holdings Co., aim to increase the number of first-time buyers of Japanese wines to two million in 2028.

Japanese wines are defined as those made from only domestic grapes and brewed in Japan.

According to the three companies, sales volume in the Japanese wine market has been sluggish since peaking in 2016 although the number of wineries in Japan has been rising.

The project calls for increasing opportunities to connect Japanese wines with consumers over three years.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]