Wine’s Growing Popularity in Japan

Jan. 5, 2015 – As wine sales slip in China as a result of the Government’s crackdown on high priced entertainment and gifts, another Asian market looks promising.  Wine is making inroads in Japan as the younger generation rejects the traditional drink of sake.  The 4,000 or so breweries producing sake 40 years ago have been reduced to about 1,500 and the future for domestic consumption is dim as the older generation passes away.  On the bright side, sales of sake in the U.S. are ticking up (see our primer on sake by Harriet Lembeck http://wineandspirits.com/sake-the-essence-of-rice/).

The French have long dominated the small Japanese wine market but their share is slipping as dozens of countries now compete for market share.  California wines, including very expensive wines from the Napa Valley, are now found on restaurant menus and are helped by the presence of the California Wine Institute’s office in Tokyo.

No matter the culture, the next generation rejects the drinking habits and traditions of its parents, which in this case is a cause for celebration in the wine industry.  However one drink that isn’t suffering a generational gap is beer, the preferred alcoholic beverage of the Japanese nation.