Joe Wadsack: Koshu will have its day in UK

Wine consultant and communicator Joe Wadsack has spoken of the untapped gastronomic potential of the Japanese grape variety Koshu, predicting that Koshu wine will inevitably “have its day” in the UK.

Joe Wadsack believes there is potential for Koshu to gain traction in the UK on-trade

Speaking at the annual Koshu of Japan press and trade tasting at the Halkin Hotel in central London, Wadsack said that two important things had happened during the seven years in which Koshu of Japan’s producers had had a presence in the UK, which had “increased the intrigue in the variety”.

First, the former Waitrose buyer said, was an effect of economic recession, which had made consumers more fastidious and explorative when choosing wine; second, a greater sensitivity to the relationship between food and wine.

“When you’re not in a recession people like to spend money on Bordeaux and Burgundy, and Cabernet and Syrah. I think when a recession hits, people start to look around or something more interesting. They care more about how much interest and value there is in their wine,” he said.

“Also there has definitely been a move towards a better understanding of the relationship between food and wine. People care about wines overshadowing the food, they care about balance and they care about an evening where if they’re having seven or eight courses it makes sense that there is a beginning, a middle and an end. I think there is a refined sophistication to everything they do in Japan, and this is manifest in the wine.”

Commenting on the likelihood of Koshu gaining serious traction in the UK market, Wadsack said he was convinced the day would come, particularly in the on-trade, when its gastronomic potential would be realised. Koshu’s trademark low alcohol, delicate aromatics and pronounced minerality were a perfect foil for oysters or delicate white fish dishes, he felt.

“I think everyone has their day,” he said. “There is genuinely something contributed by Koshu in the market.

“When you look at things like turbot or halibut, these are very delicate flavours and I don’t think any [other] wine whispers quiet enough for those kinds of dishes. Even things like sole meunière – the only reason why sole meunière goes with wine is because you’ve covered it in butter! If you grill a sole, I’d rather drink sake than wine – unless [it’s] Koshu. And Koshu works because you’ve got the same aromatic spectrum as wines from Europe but at a lower alcohol. These wines allow food to taste like food.”

What is Koshu?

Koshu is the most important wine grape variety in Japan. Grown primarily in the Yamanashi Prefecture, a landlocked region around 80km north of Mount Fuji, it flourishes in the local well-drained volcanic soil.

Since launching onto the UK market seven years ago, Koshu’s fresh, transparent style has steadily gained recognition, with listings in retailers such as Harvey Nichols, The Sampler, Amathus’s retail shop, the Japan Centre and Marks & Spencer.

Koshu is a red-skinned variety used to make white wine

A delicately aromatic, pink-skinned grape with high acidity and relatively low sugar, Koshu produces wines with low alcohol (10-12%). Young wines are somewhat reminiscent of Vinho Verde. Its naturally low sugar content dictates that chaptalisation is often required. With the right yield control, it’s possible to get Koshu up above 12.5% unchaptalised, however that is “highly rare”, Wadsack said.

A sensitive grape generally requiring a considerable amount of hand labour, Koshu tends to be above average in terms of price, and tends to be pitched as a perfect hand-sell for sommeliers.

Yuka Ogasawara, representing the 11 producers of Koshu of Japan, explained that the UK market was of vital importance to the producers’ group, which had concentrated its focus on the UK on-trade to make Koshu’s gastronomic potential better known.

“We started promoting Koshu from 2012 because the UK is the most important [export] market for us. It’s very competitive, I know. Koshu doesn’t have a big production, so we promote Koshu in a niche market – but a very important market.”

Ogasawara explained that Grace Winery in Yamanashi was the first producer to export Koshu to the UK. Other wineries to have won listings here include Kurambon (available at Marks & Spencer) and Lumiere (imported by Amathus).

“Grace is a kind of pioneer of high-quality Koshu,” Ogasawara said. “Ayana Misawa [daughter of the owner Shigekazu Misawa], the chief winemaker of Grace, studied in foreign countries for many years. She has a lot of technical knowledge so Grace has the highest standard of Koshu.”

Ogasawara explained that one of the main objectives of the 2017 Koshu of Japan masterclass was to highlight the ways in which Koshu could pair with cuisines beyond Japanese. Halkin Hotel is home to modern Spanish restaurant Ametsa with Arzak Instruction, which provided food pairings for the masterclass.

“We tried to show the guests that Koshu goes well with not only Japanese cuisine but also the cuisines of other countries – such as Spanish, modern French or Italian,” Ogasawara said.

“More than half of our producers have an importer in this country, so now it’s time to promote Koshu not only to journalists and importers, but also to sommeliers and buyers – and the final customer.

“The on-trade is more suitable than the off-trade for Koshu because the price is higher than average. Mainly Japanese restaurants don’t have a sommelier, so now it’s time to promote not only Japanese restaurants but also western cuisines restaurants.

“Koshu has a very subtle flavour, so now, with the lighter, healthier kind of fashion in cuisine, so there may be many possibilities in this market.”

Koshu of Japan highlight: Lumiere Sparkling Koshu 2014

A highlight of the Koshu of Japan masterclass, which featured 11 Koshu wines in a variety of styles, was Lumiere’s Sparkling Koshu 2014, a 10.5% ABV, zero-dosage, traditional method sparker with 12 months of lees ageing. Faintly honeyed with a delicate pithy quality and notes of orange and grapefruit – or perhaps yuzu – this was a wine that married yeasty complexity with beguiling delicate aromatics and a refreshing finish.

Introducing Lumiere’s sparkling Koshu, Wadsack said his first taste of this wine made him wonder why everyone wasn’t making sparkling Koshu. Currently sparkling Koshu is a niche within a niche, with only a tiny number of examples being made.

“If you’re growing a grape that comes in at 8 tonnes/acre yield, which is moderately good, and you are producing grapes which come in at about 9.5-10 degrees ripeness at the end of harvest, why not make sparkling wine out of it? It’s the perfect amount of alcohol, it’s got the right amount of viscosity, it’s got very Champagne-like pH and acidity – I think it lends itself fabulously well to this.

“A yeast-developed wine, where you’ve got moderate must oxidation, some yeast influence from the bottle fermentation and a bit of age makes a wine that is full of umami and it really fits into the food culture of Japan.

“It’s an expensive process, but by the time Koshu comes to Europe, it’s a very expensive grape anyway, so if you’re going to spend £20 on an entry-level still Koshu in London, then I’m pretty sure you’ll be okay spending £30 on a sparkling one. I think it’s exciting for people in the UK.”