Shiki 2023 is a wine made from 100% Yama-Sauvignon grapes, a hybrid of Yamabudo, a “wild” grape, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Shiki 2023 is produced by Mars Komagatake Distillery, which produces wine along with their more famous whisky. On the same premises is the Minami Shinshu Komagatake Brewery, a sister entity which produces the writer’s favorite beer – Yamaso Hops, made with the same hybrid grape. We wrote about it in 2022. Please see here.
There is also a whisky by the same name as the wine. It is finished in Yama-Sauvignon wine casks.
Shinshu Miyada Wine Shiki has the characteristics of a wine made of Yamabudo, which has strong acidity. It has black cherry, floral and herbaceous notes on the nose. It is off dry with a medium finish. The grapes are all sourced locally from Miyada, Nagano Prefecture, which is the location of the distillery/brewery.
This is highly recommended.
FYI, we also tried grape juice made from the same grape. It was surprisingly sweet and thick, reminiscent of prune juice or pomegranate juice. This was also very good, but entirely different from the wine.
Drinking Japan 