The best wines of Japan

Discover the best wines of Japan as well as the best winemakers of Japan and estates of Japan to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of Japan and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Top wines by regions >Japan

Top wines of Japan by region

Looking for a good wine of Japan among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of Japan. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of Japan with technical and enological descriptions.

Great red wines of Japan

See the top 100 best red wines of Japan

Want to buy a red wine of Japan cheap or sell a red wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Japan

Red wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, game (deer, venison) or lamb such as recipes of boeuf lôc lac (cambodia), medallions of monkfish with citrus fruits or lamb fillet with monbazillac.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Japan

On the nose the red wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of strawberries, plum or raspberry and sometimes also flavors of red cherry, non oak or earth.

The best vintages in red wine of Japan

  • 1985With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 1993With an average score of 4.40/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2010With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.91/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.90/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of Japan

  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Pinot Noir
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Zweigelt
  • Petit Verdot

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of Japan.

Discovering the wine region of Japan

Japan is famous for its sake, a rice wine, but Grape wine has been made in Japan for hundreds of years or more. Beer and whisky have also gained a place in the consciousness of modern Japanese, and have even become important contributors to the national economy. Winemaking has a Long history in Japan, and there are several stories surrounding its origins. The most common is that in 718 AD, a Buddhist monk named Gyoki planted the first vineyards at Daizenji Temple, near Katsunuma (southwest of Tokyo).

Traditionally, the vast majority of grapes in Japan were grown only for eating, and little or no wine was produced. European wine was imported for the Japanese elite for much of the 16th century, but was banned for much of the 17th and 18th centuries under the Sakoku policy of Imperial isolationism. But things have changed rapidly in recent decades. In the 1970s, Japanese interest in the West (and tourism) increased sharply.

Naturally, many Western fashions and traditions made their way into Japan, especially in the areas of food and drink. Wine consumption exploded and, although the focus was on imported wines, domestic wine production naturally increased accordingly. Today, Japanese viticulture has yet to take hold in the world, as the majority of the country's grapes are grown for the table rather than for the bottle. There are only a handful of grape varieties used for Japanese wine making, the most notable of which are the "native" Koshu, the European Muscat of Alexandria and the Japanese Hybrid Muscat Bailey A.

Great white wines of Japan

See the top 100 best white wines of Japan

Want to buy a white wine of Japan cheap or sell a white wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of Japan

White wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of wild boar bourguignon, sardines with escabeche or broccoli and blue cheese quiche without pastry.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of Japan

On the nose the white wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of grapefruit, citrus or apples and sometimes also flavors of peach, lime or minerality. In the mouth the white wine of the region of Japan. is a .

The best vintages in white wine of Japan

  • 1998With an average score of 4.40/5
  • 2007With an average score of 4.00/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.92/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.82/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.77/5
  • 2009With an average score of 3.76/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of Japan

  • Chardonnay
  • Koshu
  • Kerner
  • Niagara
  • Bacchus
  • Chenin Blanc

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of Japan.

Discover the grape variety: Pinot gris

Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.

Great sparkling wines of Japan

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of Japan

Want to buy a sparkling wine of Japan cheap or sell a sparkling wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of Japan

Sparkling wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of special' tagliatelle carbonara, leek and salmon lasagna or ham and comté quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of Japan

On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of microbio, tree fruit or citrus fruit and sometimes also flavors of earth, vegetal or non oak.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of Japan

  • 2011With an average score of 3.94/5
  • 2012With an average score of 3.84/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.84/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.71/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.63/5
  • 2006With an average score of 3.60/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of Japan

  • Koshu
  • Delaware
  • Chardonnay
  • Muscat Blanc
  • Kerner
  • Niagara

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Grey (wine)

Wine obtained by vinifying white grapes with coloured skin (black or grey), by direct pressing, without maceration. It is a rosé with very little colour.

Great pink wines of Japan

See the top 100 best pink wines of Japan

Want to buy a pink wine of Japan cheap or sell a pink wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of Japan

Pink wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of roast monkfish with bacon, lamb tagine with prunes or gigolette of rabbit.

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of Japan

On the nose the pink wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of earth, tree fruit or red fruit and sometimes also flavors of floral, citrus fruit.

The best vintages in pink wine of Japan

  • 2015With an average score of 3.69/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.53/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.51/5
  • 0With an average score of 3.49/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.47/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.41/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of Japan

  • Muscat Bailey A
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot
  • Delaware
  • Alicante Bouschet
  • Cabernet Franc

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of Japan.

Discover the grape variety: Pinot noir

Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Great sweet wines of Japan

See the top 100 best sweet wines of Japan

Want to buy a sweet wine of Japan cheap or sell a sweet wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of Japan

Sweet wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of fricadella, summer tuna quiche or magic cake cheese quiche.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of Japan

On the nose the sweet wine of the region of Japan. often reveals types of flavors of earth, oak or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of dried fruit, non oak or microbio.

The best vintages in sweet wine of Japan

  • 2020With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2013With an average score of 3.80/5
  • 2016With an average score of 3.65/5
  • 2014With an average score of 3.59/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.55/5
  • 2012With an average score of 3.50/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of Japan

  • Merlot
  • Chardonnay
  • Riesling
  • Niagara
  • Concord
  • Cabernet Sauvignon

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Provignage

A vine reproduction technique that consists of burying a vine shoot that takes root and reproduces a plant with the same characteristics as the vine to which it is attached.

Great other wines of Japan

See the top 100 best other wines of Japan

Want to buy a other wine of Japan cheap or sell a other wine of Japan at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a other wine of Japan

Other wines from the region of Japan go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, vegetarian or poultry such as recipes of barbecued lobster, vegan leek and tofu quiche or turkey stuffed with chestnuts.

The best vintages in other wine of Japan

  • 2020With an average score of 3.40/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.32/5
  • 2015With an average score of 3.30/5
  • 0With an average score of 3.19/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.15/5
  • 2018With an average score of 2.84/5

The most used grape varieties in other wine of Japan

  • Yama Sauvignon
  • Muscat Bailey A
  • Chardonnay
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Merlot

The best wineries and winemakers for other wine of Japan

A wine route planned in the region of Japan? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best other wine of Japan.

The word of the wine: Tastevin

Metal cup, wide and of low height, being used to mirror and taste the wine. Still used in wine brotherhoods for its emblematic and folkloric character, the tastevin has been replaced by the various tasting glasses.

Discover other regions and appellation of Japan