In 2022, Mother's Day falls on Sunday, May 8.
For those wondering, "What kind of wine should I give this year?", one bottle we recommend is "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling".
This time, Toru Kanisawa, head of the "UNITED ARROWS LTD. WINE CLUB" (hereafter referred to as the Wine Club), which continually shares the appeal of wine—especially rosé wine—paid a surprise visit to Suntory Holdings Limited.
We interviewed them about Suntory's Japanese wine making and the appeal of "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling".
In the first part, we cover Suntory's passion for Japanese wine making and the details of "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling".
In the second part, we will introduce an actual tasting and food pairings.
About Suntory and Japanese Wine
Speaking with us this time about "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling" was Atsushi Maeda from the Winery Wine Division of Suntory Wine International Limited.
First, we asked about Suntory's Japanese wine making.
Maeda: "Originally, Suntory started out as a wine company. Born from the philosophy of that era—to enrich people's lives by integrating wine into Japanese culture—was Akadama Port Wine (*currently Akadama Sweet Wine). This philosophy of crafting alcoholic beverages suited to the Japanese palate later expanded into whisky and beer. While making 'good wine' is an absolute premise as we continue producing Japanese wine, Suntory's philosophy is not merely about crafting products, but about 'spreading it as a culture.'"
Wine making is a craft where value increases the more you narrow it down, just like a Burgundy Grand Cru. However, Mr. Maeda explains that Suntory does not craft Japanese wine solely on that axis.
Maeda: "The axis of having Japan recognized globally as a renowned wine-producing region is important. However, on the other hand, we must also consider the axis of making wines that feel accessible and can be enjoyed by everyone. Crafting Japanese wine along these two axes is the very foundation of our philosophy."
Kanisawa: "It's the same in our fashion industry. Pursuing high-end luxury brands is wonderful, but it's difficult for everyone to pull them off. It's not that you can't enjoy fashion unless it's a luxury brand; just like fast fashion, the axis of spreading the joy of fashion to as many people as possible is also truly important."
Maeda: "We are uncompromising about quality. For example, the estate vineyards of 'Tomi no Oka Winery' were acquired even before the current Agricultural Land Act was enacted, so we possess deep knowledge from cultivating grapes ourselves. We remain dedicated to quality not only as winemakers, but also as grape growers."
About "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling"
The "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling" being released this time is a limited-quantity release in the 'Japan Premium' series.
Furthermore, it is a unique product co-developed with Iwanohara Vineyard Co., Ltd.
We asked Mr. Maeda about the background and commitment behind "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling".
Maeda: "While we have released traditional method sparkling wines, for some time we had been thinking, 'Couldn't we offer something a bit more casual?' We produce Japanese wine across three wineries—Tomi no Oka, Shiojiri, and Iwanohara Vineyard—and when sparkling wine equipment was introduced at Iwanohara Vineyard, development got underway."
(*) The process of injecting carbon dioxide into beverages such as wine is called carbonation. The equipment used to perform this is a carbonator.
Maeda: "Also, Mother's Day in May is one of the occasions when wine demand peaks during the first half of the year. For this product, the base wine was vinified at Tomi no Oka Winery. When deciding between Koshu and Muscat Bailey A, proposing a wine for Mother's Day that is 'gorgeous, beautiful, with a subtle sweetness' led us to select Muscat Bailey A. That is the story of how this rosé sparkling wine came to be."
Kanisawa: "When I learned about this rosé sparkling, I was surprised to hear that it was co-developed with Iwanohara Vineyard. I personally have ties to Niigata Prefecture, and I've visited Iwanohara Vineyard several times. I didn't know until today that it belongs to the Suntory group... Personally, I love their 'Zen' rosé sparkling wine, to the point that I recently bought several bottles in bulk."
Maeda: "The story of Iwanohara Vineyard joining the group dates back even before the acquisition of Tomi no Oka Winery. At the time, while importing base ingredients for 'Akadama' from Spain, the world was heading toward war and base wine could no longer be imported. While trying to source ingredients domestically, Shinjiro Torii consulted with Dr. Kinichiro Sakaguchi, an authority on zymology at the University of Tokyo, who introduced him to Zenbei Kawakami of Iwanohara Vineyard."
Kanisawa: "I didn't know that. Even though I've taken commemorative photos in front of Zenbei Kawakami's bronze statue at Iwanohara Vineyard (laughs)."
Maeda: "Moved by Zenbei Kawakami's aspirations at Iwanohara Vineyard, Shinjiro Torii provided support, leading to it joining the group. However, the distinctive feature is that it has operated strictly under the name 'Iwanohara Vineyard' without taking on names like Kotobukiya or Suntory. Because of that, there are likely many people like Mr. Kanisawa who didn't realize it was a group company."
Commitment to "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling"
We asked Mr. Maeda about the variety and winemaking dedication behind "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling".
Maeda: "The wine used as the base for this rosé sparkling is Muscat Bailey A from Yamanashi Prefecture. The characteristic of Muscat Bailey A from Yamanashi Prefecture is its charming quality. We felt it was the perfect wine for this rosé sparkling."
Kanisawa: "Being co-developed with Iwanohara Vineyard brings to mind 'Zen'. How was Iwanohara involved?"
Maeda: "This time, the base wine was vinified at Tomi no Oka Winery, and production after that was entrusted to Iwanohara Vineyard. The winemakers of Iwanohara Vineyard and Tomi no Oka Winery worked together on final flavor adjustments prior to bottling. When it comes to expressing the varietal character of Muscat Bailey A, they have even more expertise than we do, and this time they also referenced the 'Zen' sparkling wine."
Kanisawa: "'Zen' doesn't feature the grape variety on the label, so why was Muscat Bailey A highlighted prominently this time?"
Maeda: "Iwanohara Vineyard celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2021. With Iwanohara at the core, associations of Muscat Bailey A winemakers have also emerged. We felt the need as the Suntory Group to promote Muscat Bailey A more actively, so out of respect for Iwanohara Vineyard and to increase awareness of Muscat Bailey A, an achievement of Zenbei Kawakami, we included the varietal name along with the phrase 'a wine grape born in Japan.'"
Summary
In the first part, Mr. Maeda shared Suntory's passion for Japanese wine making and the background story of how "Suntory Japan Premium Muscat Bailey A Rosé Sparkling" was created.
By the way, during this conversation about Iwanohara Vineyard, the idea came up that it would be great to collaborate on something with the UA Wine Club as well.
Something might happen on that front as well. (Strictly a personal prediction!)
In the second part, Mr. Kanisawa will conduct an actual tasting and suggest recommended pairings.
References
Suntory Japanese Wine
https://www.suntory.co.jp/wine/nihon/