“The Japanese wine industry is maturing, gaining new recognition and increasing sales thanks to improving quality. That’s led the government to take the first steps toward a true appellation system, noting on labels where grapes were grown.
But that’s created a challenge for wineries, because most don’t own vineyards and many source fruit from multiple regions. And an aging population of farmers means that vineyard acreage is actually shrinking just as demand for local wines is growing.”