Manns Wines Yamanashi, Japan
Manns Wines is a relatively young member of the Japanese wine industry. It was only founded in 1962 in Katsunuma, Yamanashi, by Kikkoman, a Japanese food manufacturer, and the world’s leading manufacturer of soy sauce.
From the very start, Manns challenged the conventional wisdom that only average quality wines can be made from Japan’s Koshu grape variety. Further, Manns also sought to create wines for pairing with food. In a country, where there is still much unrealised viticultural potential, Manns became the first company to start viticulture in the Chikuma River Wine Valley of Nagano Prefecture.
Unlike some other wine makers in Yamanashi, Manns focuses on the Japanese grape varieties of Koshu and Muscat Bailey A. The Koshu grape variety dates back more than 1000 years, and would have entered Japan via monks travelling on the Silk Road. Along the way, Koshu would have mixed with other local grapes to create the hybrid that we know today.
Manns Wines have the largest production volume of any winemaker in Yamanashi, itself a region which dominates Japanese wine production. Japan reportedly has 413 vineyards, of which 92 are in Yamanashi, 62 in Nagano and 46 in Hokkaido. Yamanashi, a region with little rain and plenty of sunshine, is ideal for viticulture.
For the intrepid wine walker, one thing which is remarkable is the trellis-trained vineyards of Koshu (see photo). Vines are typically trained on overhead pergola-style trellis, an historic method that allows air to circulate around the grapes and helps shield them from summer rainfall.
My guide proudly said that when Japan hosted the summit of the world’s 20 leading countries (“G20”) in 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly tasted and fell in love with the Manns’ wine, “SOLARIS Magnifica” (see photo).
Once again, I tasted a few wines, which were excellent, especially SOLARIS Magnifica. For my tastes however, the wines from the Suntory Tomi no Oka Winery are of a slightly better quality.