About Muscat Bailey A Barrel Aged
- Style
- Red
- Grape Varieties
- Muscat Bailey A
- Price Range
- ¥2,550
- incl. tax, 720ml
A dry, barrel-aged red wine made from 100% Nagano-grown Muscat Bailey A, vinified by Yamabe Winery in the Yamabe district of Matsumoto, Nagano. Muscat Bailey A — Japan's most widely planted red grape, bred by Kawakami Zenbei from Bailey and Muscat Hamburg — typically shows a distinctive sweet, candy-like aroma; here that character is layered with berry and cassis notes, with the wine's time in oak barrels adding a gentle toasty depth and rounding out the fresh fruit and acidity. No imported bulk wine or concentrated must is used, and the fruit is sourced entirely from the Matsumoto plain.
Barrel aging is the key that unlocks Muscat Bailey A's food-pairing potential — the oak's gentle toast tames the grape's candy sweetness into something genuinely dinner-worthy.
New to wine?
An easy way to meet Japan's signature red grape — its familiar candy-like aroma plus a touch of oak make it approachable even for those new to red wine.
Food Pairings
The candy-like aromatics and moderate oak call for dishes with a touch of sweetness or richness — think teriyaki chicken, sukiyaki, or grilled unagi. The winery itself suggests pairing with sweet-and-savory, richly seasoned dishes.
When to drink it
Weeknight dinners with richly seasoned Japanese dishes, or a casual introduction to Japanese red wine
Terroir & Winemaking
100% Nagano-grown (Matsumoto plain) Muscat Bailey A. No imported bulk wine or concentrated must used. Barrel-aged. 720ml bottle, 12.5% ABV.
About the producer
Yamabe Winery100% Matsumoto-grown grapes, from Nagano's grape-growing birthplace.松本市, 長野県 · Founded 2002Visit the producer page →Frequently Asked Questions
- What does Yamabe Winery's Muscat Bailey A Barrel Aged taste like?
- It opens with sweet berry, cassis, and candy-like aromas typical of Muscat Bailey A, followed by fresh fruit and bright acidity, with a gentle toasty note from barrel aging rounding out the finish.
- What food pairs well with this wine?
- Its sweet aromatics and moderate oak pair especially well with richly seasoned, sweet-and-savory dishes such as teriyaki, sukiyaki, or grilled unagi — the winery itself recommends serving it alongside hearty, well-seasoned cooking.
- Is Muscat Bailey A Barrel Aged a dry or sweet wine?
- It is a dry (辛口) red wine. Muscat Bailey A often shows a naturally sweet-smelling, candy-like aroma even when vinified dry, which can make it taste rounder than its dryness suggests.
- What grape is Muscat Bailey A and where does it come from?
- Muscat Bailey A is a Japanese hybrid red grape bred by Zenbei Kawakami from Bailey and Muscat Hamburg. It is Japan's most widely planted red wine grape. This bottling uses grapes grown 100% in Nagano's Matsumoto plain.
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