Inside a 19th century silk merchant's house in Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture, the three Aruga brothers are pouring several white wines in their timbered tasting room. All are made at their Katsunuma Jyozo Winery Co. under the Aruga Branca label from Japan's unique grape variety, Koshu, and all are delicious: One is elegant and sparkling; another fresh, bright and lemony; a third succulent and tangy; still another savory and smoky; and a fifth barrel-fermented version is round, rich and smooth.
About 15 years ago, when an Aruga Branca bottling won medals in a French wine competition, Bernard Magrez of famous Bordeaux chateau Pape Clement was so intrigued, he proposed a joint wine project that introduced Koshu to France. And now third-generation winemaker Hiro Aruga, who studied and worked in Burgundy, has joined his father Yuji and is experimenting to create wines with even higher quality.
Aruga Branca is part of the vinous revolution that's making Japan the world's newest serious wine frontier. Since 2010, Koshu has been on the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) list of varieties, so it can be displayed on labels in Europe. And last year, to ensure quality, government regulations were enacted to restrict labeling of Japanese wine to vintages made wholly in the country, from vine to barrel. The volume of exports went from 45,000 liters to 58,000 liters, up nearly 30 percent from 2015 to 2017, according to the National Tax Agency. Ambitious vintners anticipate more demand during next summer's Olympics.