When you open a bottle of wine, what should you cook to go with it?
Here is good news for wine lovers who happily face that question every day.
The book “Tsuno Mariage: Wine-Friendly Dishes Everyone Will Love” has been published by Gurunavi, Inc.
Tsuno Town in Miyazaki Prefecture is known for its internationally acclaimed winemaking and is blessed with an abundance of high-quality agricultural products, earning it a reputation as a “capital of agriculture.”
This time, those attractions have been brought together in a single cookbook built around “pairing local wine with local seasonal ingredients.”
At the publication party held at MOSS CROSS TOKYO, Yuki Saito, a regional revitalization corporate professional from Gurunavi, author Michiko Ohashi, and Seiji Akao, President and Representative Director of Tsuno Wine Co., Ltd., spoke about their thoughts behind the publication.
About the Publication of “Tsuno Mariage: Wine-Friendly Dishes Everyone Will Love”
Author Michiko Ohashi is a certified sommelier who constantly searches for ingredients and processed foods that pair well with wine and studies their compatibility—a true “wine snack researcher.”
Speaking about the book, she said, “This is not simply a recipe book. It is a unique volume created by the entire Tsuno community working as a team, including the winery.”
Daisuke Yamauchi of the Tsuno Future Community Development Promotion Organization spoke about the history of grape growing in the area. Soon after the war, despite conditions that were not necessarily suitable for cultivation, the efforts and ingenuity of earlier generations made grape production possible. The resulting Tsuno Wine is now highly regarded both in Japan and overseas. He said the next phase is to present the wine together with local foods, looking ahead to Tsuno’s future.
“Wine and books like this are very attractive products that can connect us with urban areas. At the same time, as part of regional branding, we want to keep developing them so that they are loved above all by the people of Tsuno,” he said.
Seiji Akao, President and Representative Director of Tsuno Wine, spoke about Tsuno’s early spring, the early budding of the vines and the history behind the successful cultivation of Campbell Early, as well as how important cooperation with local grape growers has been.
He also welcomed the publication of the book, calling it “a valuable publication that will become an asset to the company.”
What Kinds of Tsuno Food × Tsuno Wine Pairings Are Suggested?
Because this is a recipe book about “dishes for wine,” each recipe comes with a pairing suggestion. But what exactly does that look like?
At the event, we were able to experience dishes reproduced directly from the book.
One example was deep-fried taro seasoned with yakiniku sauce.
In Tsuno, people often use slightly sweet sauces at home. To complement that sweetness, the dish was paired with a gently sweet Campbell Early sparkling wine.
Fried food and sparkling wine are already a classic pairing, but this combination also lets you enjoy the character of the region.
In this way, the book proposes a wine to accompany each dish.
The same idea is carried through in the book itself.
Each recipe page clearly identifies a specific wine that pairs with the dish.
As you know, wine is now made in almost every prefecture in Japan.
President Akao often says that “wine is a local sake.” How to harness that appeal for regional revitalization may also be an interesting initiative for producers across Japan.
For wine enthusiasts, the book is also an excellent guide to concrete ways of enjoying wine.
Even casually flipping through it is enough to make you want a glass.
Details on “Tsuno Mariage: Wine-Friendly Dishes Everyone Will Love”