The Sakura Awards, pleasing the female palate in the land of the rising sun

La Mancha wineries stand out in Japan at the Sakura Awards, selected by an all-female panel of judges.

The latest winners of the famous SAKURA Awards have been announced. They were published in the second week of February, coinciding precisely with the commercial festival of Saint Valentine’s day.

The awards attract excellent media coverage among Japanese consumers and are also promoted at Foodex, the sector’s most important trade fair in Japan. They are also remarkable for being chosen by an all-female panel of judges.

Despite Sakura’s youth, the initiative has gained a firm foothold year after year and this year’s fourth edition attracted over 4,000 participants, with wineries from more than 30 countries. This is proof of the burgeoning interest in a continually growing market.  For example, in 2016 alone, La Mancha Designation of Origin successfully increased the presence of wine bottled in Japan, reaching the figure of 1,090,452 bottles, 15% more than in the previous year. In fact, the country is now the world’s fifth biggest buyer of La Mancha wines.

As a result of this, penetrating the Japanese market will be an easier job for the wineries selected for awards in the latest edition of the Sakura Awards, which closed with 1,800 prizewinning wines (237 Double Gold, 899 Gold and 736 Silver).

Sights are now set on the Japanese market, where gastronomy culture is based largely on vegetables and fish, opening up the way for young, fresh, aromatic wines.