According to the latest National Tax Agency survey on the alcoholic-beverage manufacturing and wholesale industries, Ibaraki Prefecture has now moved into sixth place outright nationwide in number of wineries.
The prefecture has 13 wineries, with several more currently in preparation.
Ibaraki wine has real momentum right now.
At this pace, the prefecture could rise to fifth place in the not-too-distant future.
But what kinds of wines are actually being made in Ibaraki?
To give people a chance to find out, five wineries from across the prefecture gathered in Tsukuba for tastings aimed at both the trade and general public.
It was reportedly the first event of its kind in Ibaraki bringing local wineries together, and advance tickets sold out quickly.
Here is our report from the event.
Be sure to watch comments from winery representatives, including Kotoyo Imamura of Bee’s Knees Vineyards.
Open on youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/embed/xBX8T2lww28
Scenes from the “Enjoy IBARAKI WINE” Event
Each winery prepared five wines, with one tasting of each available to participants.
That meant a total of 25 wines could be sampled.
All advance tickets sold out, and a waiting list formed. Both of the event’s two sessions reached capacity with 40 participants each.
Around 70% of visitors came from within Ibaraki Prefecture. Thanks in part to the venue being just a one-minute walk from Kenkyu-gakuen Station on the Tsukuba Express, about 30% came from Tokyo.
One especially memorable wine came from Mugi to Budou Ushiku Brewery, which we visited two years ago. Merlot harvested from the vineyard we toured at that time has now been released as wine.
The crop was small—less than enough to fill a single barrel—but through winemaker Rie Sano’s careful work, it developed into a very elegant wine with a fine balance between fruit aromas and oak nuances.
Sano said, “Until now we had been making wine with purchased grapes from other prefectures, so I’m delighted that we can finally introduce a true Ushiku wine made from grapes I grew myself.”
Linkhttps://nihonwine.jp/winerys-voice/interview/mugitobudo-ushikujozojo-report/
＜Participating Wineries＞
・Buryu Winery (Hitachiota)
・Bee’s Knees Vineyards (Tsukuba)
・Tsukuba Vineyards (Tsukuba)
・Mugi to Budou Ushiku Brewery (Ushiku)
・Sakaimachi Farm & Winery (Sakai)
Ibaraki wine continues to evolve rapidly.
And it is about far more than winery numbers.
Why not taste the individual commitment of each producer for yourself?