Okayama University of Science has successfully developed a new wine-grape variety called “Muscat Shiragai.”
An application has been filed to register it as a new variety.
Here are the details.
About “Muscat Shiragai”
“Muscat Shiragai” is a wine grape created by crossing Shiraga Budou, a wild grape found only in the Takahashi River basin of Okayama Prefecture, with Muscat of Alexandria.
A group led by Professor Emeritus Takuji Hoshino of Okayama University of Science succeeded in developing the grape and submitted an application to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which was accepted.
Through exchanges with people involved with Funao Winery in Kurashiki, Professor Emeritus Hoshino became interested in Shiraga Budou, which grows naturally only in a very limited part of Okayama and is considered endangered. He conceived a new wine grape unique to Okayama by crossing it with Muscat of Alexandria.
In February 2018, Okayama University of Science signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Kurashiki City and Funao Winery. As part of a national government-approved regional revitalization initiative aimed at branding local resources, full-scale crossbreeding began. In 2024, drawing on results from previous experimental vinifications, “Muscat Shiragai” was created.
Wine Made from “Muscat Shiragai”
The application for new-variety registration was jointly filed by Kake Educational Institution and Kurashiki City last December, and the application was officially published in June this year.
Actual registration as a new variety is expected to take another four to five years.
At a press conference held in a presentation room on the first floor of Building A1 at Okayama University of Science, attendees tasted both Muscat Shiragai grapes and wine. The fruit received comments such as “sweet and very delicious,” while the wine was praised for having “a gentle Muscat aroma and being easy to drink.”
Twenty Muscat Shiragai vines are currently being grown at Funao Winery and the university’s vineyard, with a goal of harvesting more than 500 kilograms in 2028 or 2029.
We look forward to seeing what new Japanese wines emerge from Okayama in the years ahead.
Reference