li Wang

Japanese weddings are auspicious occasions and are celebrated lavishly. One of the most crucial aspects of the wedding is the use of the traditional Japanese wine or “Muscat Bailey-A”. This is a traditional Japanese red wine made out of grape made in the 18th century. The creator of this wine wanted to make a type of wine that was more suited to Japanese culture and hence the beverage came into existence. Initially, the acidic nature of the wine was not accepted in Japan as this taste was not preferred locally.

The Japanese used to add sugar or honey to sweeten the taste and remove the acidic flavor. During the 18th century the grape wine became more popular in other parts of Japan and people started adapting this taste. Till date there is no single brand that distinguishes itself from the remainder of the wines in Japan irrespective of how they differ in taste. In Japan, any fermented grape juice is generically referred to as “Japanese wine”.

Some of the well known names of wine producers are Yamagata Prefecture that develop the Tendo wine, Tochigi Prefecture that have developed the Nasu wine and the Miyazaki Prefecture created Aya wine. These wines are specially used during the wedding ceremonies where a toast is raised for the bride and grooms long lasting marriage.