JR East Group (TOKYO:9020) will host its Japan Premium Wine Fair from 2-31 March 2020 in 11 stores and restaurants in Singapore, where guests can tickle their taste buds on five carefully selected wines sourced from both Yamanashi known commonly as “the birthplace of Japanese wine”* - and Yamagata.

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Japan Premium Wine Fair (Graphic: Business Wire)

Japan Premium Wine Fair (Graphic: Business Wire)

For many people, France and Italy are virtually synonymous with wine production. However, in recent years, Japanese wine made from 100% Japan-grown grapes has been steadily gaining acclaim worldwide. As a testimony to this fact, a wide variety of specialty wine grapes are now cultivated in Japan, including Japan-only varieties as “Koshu” and “Muscat Berry A”, which are usually the main ingredients in Japanese wines.

As true wine afficionados know, Japanese wine is quite distinct from other wines, especially due to its delicate flavour. Some say the reason for this is that, in order to cultivate wine grapes that satisfy oenophiles in rain-drenched parts of Japan, viticulturists have focused on grape quality at the expense of production volume. High-quality one might say “exquisite” - Japanese wine is the very fortunate result of such diligence and attention to detail.

While Japanese cuisine has long been held in high esteem internationally, lately Japanese wine has been gaining recognition as its perfect complement - and also as the ideal way to best enjoy a broad range of non-Japanese fare.

The rapidly growing international reputation of Japanese wine has allowed it to cross borders and fill glasses of wine drinkers in Singapore. However, due to high prices and shipping costs, Japanese wine remains out of reach to most consumers. Fortunately, visitors of the JR East’s Japan Premium Wine Fair will be able to sample five unique Japanese wines, including award-winning ones, at special prices at the 11 participating stores.

To quote Kawai-san, one of Singapore’s most renowned sommeliers, “The wines selected for the Japan Premium Wine Fair this time are all excellent products that are not in any way inferior to internationally famous wines. While Japanese wines were previously known for being too sweet and therefore not favoured by oenophiles, the wines available now are different. As long as you drop your biases and face the wine in front of you, I am confident that you will be able to see what’s so good about it. I hope that wine-loving Singaporeans and expats, in addition to Japanese, will be able to enjoy the wines this time”.

This is a rare opportunity to sample a wide variety of wines at such a scale. Please do visit participating stores to enjoy food pairings as well.

*Source: Japan Wineries Association website https://www.winery.or.jp/en/

Access the full report at: https://waon.com.sg/whatsnew/japanwinefair2020/