M&S bring Japanese wine to high street: £12.99 bottle of Sol Lucet Koshu is the perfect accompaniment to sushi

• White Koshu grapes used to make wine are grown at the base of Mount Fuji
• They have been eaten in Japan for years but only recently made into alcohol
• The £12.99 bottle has hints of lemongrass and goes best with sushi
  

By Tania Steere

Published: 19:56 EST, 9 May 2014 | Updated: 07:05 EST, 10 May 2014

M&S; now stock £12.99 Sol Lucet Koshu wine. The Koshu grape variety was only recognised by the EU in 2010

Merlot goes with beef, sauvignon blanc with chicken… but when you dine on sushi it is not so easy to find the perfect wine accompaniment.

However, Marks & Spencer is offering the solution by becoming the first high street retailer to stock Japanese wine.

The specialist white Sol Lucet Koshu wine, pictured left, is taken from large white Koshu grapes nurtured in volcanic soil at the foot of Mount Fuji.

There, the grapes are given small umbrellas to shade them from the intense sunshine.

Koshu has been grown to be eaten as a fresh table grape in Japan for a thousand years but only in the last 100 years has it been made into wine.

It is new to the EU as it was only officially recognised as a wine grape in 2010. Koshu varieties are rarely seen on wine lists but occasionally they can be found in Japanese restaurants for around £60 per bottle.

So if you are seeking a taste of the exotic without the high price tag, the £12.99 Sol Lucet Koshu may come as a relief.

It is currently being trialled in 70 stores and if successful will be rolled out nationwide. It will also be available online in the coming weeks.

M&S wine buyer Emma Dawson decided to list the wine after the success of the M&S Eastern Mediterranean wine range, which was introduced in 2012.

She said: ‘We are excited to bring such a rare and previously specialist wine to a wider public. Until now, Japanese wine has not been something you would expect to find on the high street.

'The dazzling lemongrass flavours match brilliantly with sushi and Japanese food.’

Daily Mail wine reviewer Helen McGinn tried out the Sol Lucet Koshu.

She said: ‘I know the old adage about books and covers but let’s start with the label. It’s rather lovely, actually.

‘The wine is called Sol Lucet (meaning “the sun shines”) and it is made from the thick-skinned, white Koshu grape grown in vineyards in the Yamanashi region on the main island of Honshu.

'The weather is extreme (to put it mildly) so making good wine in Japan is not easy. But I tip my hat to the M&S winemaker, who has sniffed out a gem here.

The £12.99 bottle of wine is made from Koshu grapes which are grown at the foot of Mount Fuji

‘On sticking my nose in the glass, having given it a good swirl, there is a gentle hug of lemon. And the taste?

'Deliciously, refreshingly light (it is just 11.5 per cent abv) with more citrus fruit flavours and a bit of apple too.

'It is not unlike Pinot Grigio, but with a splash of added interest because of where it comes from.

‘The label tells me it will go with sushi and tempura and I can see why it would work, given the delicate flavours and freshness of the wine.

'But my glass was quite happy with a bowl of lightly salted crisps. Just make sure it is really nicely chilled, even if the sun isn’t shining.’

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