Mencia Pinot Blanc Sake Japan Yamagata Prefecture

Pinot Blanc is a popular white grape varietal most commonly associated with the beautiful French region of Alsace, but which is also grown across Central Europe and Italy. In Germany and Austria it is known as Weisseburgunder, in Italy it is called Pinot Bianco, and is one of the key varietals in the alpine regions of Alto Adige. Pinot Blanc is the main white grape varietal in Alsace, where it is prized for its ability to beautifully express the fine terroir on which it is grown, and it is used to produce exceptional single varietal wines, as well as blended wine such as Edelzwicker. Pinot Blanc is also a key component in this part of France’s signature sparkling wine, Cremant d’Alsace.


The wines made from Pinot Blanc are typically medium to light bodied, but they possess a remarkable freshness and clean character, which reminds us of the cool, green hillsides of their homeland. Apple, honey and biscuity, yeasty flavors are typical in fine Pinot Blanc wines, as well as a good level of minerality, making it a popular choice for those looking to pair a fine white wine with a wide range of foods. Although it is almost never oaked in Alsace, Italian vintners have a tendency to age Pinot Bianco in oak barrels, adding an extra dimension to this wonderful varietal.

All over Japan, farmers and wine producers take the production of alcoholic beverages including plum wine and sake very seriously. It is an industry which dates back well over a thousand years, and is held in high esteem in this far east country, where plum wines and sake often accompany meals and are used for ceremonial purposes. Whilst plum wine is produced in a relatively similar way to grape based wines, sake requires a complex process more akin to the brewing of beer, except using a rice mash instead of other grains. The rising popularity of both of these drinks in the west has seen the drinks industry in Japan increase dramatically over recent years, and both quality and quantity has risen alongside demand, and is expected to rise further.