It's the season where the flavors of autumn are delicious. Today we will be introducing a late-harvested Kellner white wine harvested in Yoichi, Hokkaido. By slightly delaying the harvest, the sugar content of the grapes is increased, resulting in a slightly sweet wine.

The Kerner variety was created in Germany in 1929 as a cross between the black Trollinger grape and the white Riesling grape. It is resistant to cold weather, and in Japan, most of it is grown in Hokkaido. It inherits the gorgeous and aromatic characteristics of its parent, Riesling, resulting in a fruity wine with notes of muscat and flowers that emanate from the glass.

What is important when it comes to wine is the place where the raw material grapes are grown. Yoichi Town in Hokkaido is famous for its whisky, but it is also a grape-growing region that produces some of the highest quality grapes in the prefecture.

This wine has a slightly sweet taste that may go against the grain of today's dry taste. However, it goes well with the side dishes served at Japanese dining tables. Grand Pollaire Ambassador Motohiro Okoshi recommends the combination of ``Yoichi Kerner <late harvest>'' and potato butter. Just open the wine and put it into practice. The steamy sweetness of the potatoes and the mellowness of the butter combine better than I expected with the fruitiness of the wine and a little residual sugar. When I tried pairing it with other stewed dishes made with mirin and sugar, such as meat and potatoes and minced pumpkin, I enjoyed the sense of unity as if a new dish had been created. Also good for shrimp and sweet potato tempura. This is a wine that will come in handy if you have a bottle in your refrigerator this coming season.

Yoichi Kellner <late harvest>

Maker: Grand Polaire / Chief Winemaker: Masayoshi Kudo
Location:Yoichi, Hokkaido
Variety:Kellner 100%
Characteristic:"Grand Polaire" is a premium domestic wine from Sapporo Beer. The quality produced by the four naturally blessed production areas of Hokkaido, Yamanashi, Nagano, and Okayama and the passion of the brewers has been praised both domestically and internationally. Motohiro Okoshi, a wine taster who is very active as a wine advisor for JAL international flights and a beverage director at numerous restaurants, has been appointed as an ambassador since 4, and the company has further increased its communication power by promoting local cuisine pairings. They have also expanded their vineyard to Hokuto City in Hokkaido, so keep an eye on them.
Dishes to pair with: It's a fruity wine that has a slight sweetness but is easy to drink, so it goes well with dishes that take advantage of the sweetness of the ingredients, and with seasonings that use sugar or mirin, without making the dishes too heavy. Goes well with meat and potatoes, minced pumpkin sauce, shrimp and sweet potato tempura.
Price: 2,308 yen (excluding tax)

Rie Matsuki
Sommelier　WSET® Level 4 Diploma, ASI World Sommelier Association Certified International Sommelier Diploma- Gold. He moved to France in 2006 after working with Taillevent Robuchon and others. He studied under Enrico Bernardo, the world's best sommelier, in the south of France, and then worked as a sommelier at a starred restaurant in Paris for six years. After returning to Japan, he worked as a sommelier at Oriental Tokyo before becoming independent. Currently, Caplan works as a lecturer at wine academies and other institutions, and is also involved in activities to popularize wine.