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Home » Explore » Plum Wine Research Association The winning plum wine for the “9th National Plum Wine Competition 2024” has been decided! 50 items were selected from 165 “umeshu” products from 99 companies.

Plum Wine Research Association The winning plum wine for the “9th National Plum Wine Competition 2024” has been decided! 50 items were selected from 165 “umeshu” products from 99 companies.

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[Plum Wine Research Association] The winning plum wine for the “9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024” has been decided! 50 items were selected from 165 “umeshu” products from 99 companies. ​
Plum Wine Research Association Press release: October 7, 2024 The winning plum wine for “9th National Plum Wine Competition 2024” has been decided! 50 items were selected from 165 “umeshu” products from 99 companies. Participated in the “National Plum Wine Fair” (sponsored by the Umeshu Research Association), the only judging committee in which food and sake specialists judge “umeshu” produced by sake breweries across Japan. The winning plum wine for 2024 was selected.
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“9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024” This fair has been held once a year since 2015 with the aim of popularizing, promoting, and improving the quality of plum wine, and in 2024, the 9th time, 165 plum wines from 99 companies from all over Japan were exhibited. In addition, a new “Premier Plum Wine” category was established this year, with a total of nine categories categorized and judged in each category. The judging was conducted strictly by 17 of Japan’s leading food and alcohol specialists. ◆Judge introduction◆ [Chairman of the Judging Committee] Honorific title omitted Tomohiro Myojo: Representative Director of Umeshu Research Association [Judges] *In no particular order, title omitted Makoto Abe: Executive Director of Japan Sommelier Association Yuki Aoi: Sake Samurai, Freelance Announcer Makoto Fujimori: President of Wine School Charpente College, Senior Sommelier, Sake Master Eiki Irie: Noodle Theater Gen’ei Owner Chef Hayato Morita: Crossam Morita Owner Chef Muneo Murakami: President and Representative Director of Hiyama Co., Ltd. Yohei Nakayama: Eclat des Jour Patisserie Owner Chef Kotomi Hasegawa: Owner of membership-only plum wine bar Visage Rieko Komiyama: Sake master, representative director of Food Culture Practice Research Institute Kazuo Sugimoto: Representative Director of Toyosu Fruits and Vegetables Wholesaler Tsukiji Kushiya Tomoyuki Onaga: Nikukyu Ogatomo Owner Chef Takashi Ueno: Representative Director, Japan Tamago Kake Gohan Research Institute Naoto Ohno: syn Owner Chef Kazuki Takubo: Sushi Kazuki Owner Chef Koichiro Yamada: Representative Director of Yamada Co., Ltd., Tempura and Wine Sommelier Yu Kanaya: Plum wine sommelier
Image [Judges] *In no particular order, title omitted
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Image [Greetings] Thank you all for your hard work. Thank you very much for your cooperation in the activities of the Umeshu Research Association. This year marks nine years since the National Plum Wine Fair was held for the first time, and next year will mark the 10th anniversary. I did. During this time, the plum wine industry has also undergone major changes in line with the great trends of the times. In recent years, thanks to the tireless efforts of manufacturing companies across the country, I feel that the plum wine on the market is now of even greater quality and expresses an unprecedented level of class. I’m here. In addition, many new attempts have been made to create a variety of tastes, and the range is expanding, and we are reaching the stage where we are once again asking ourselves what it means to be “like plum wine.” I think so. Therefore, starting this year, we have decided to review the screening criteria again, create a new category for screening subjects, and change one of the evaluation points. As a new category, we will separate expensive plum wine into “Premier Plum Wine.” We have determined that expensive plum wine, which is made using carefully selected raw materials and painstaking methods, may have a quality that is incomparable to other products, so we have determined that it should be judged separately. . Additionally, we have decided to discontinue the evaluation of “appearance” and add “plum flavor” to the evaluation. With the emergence of various plum wines, it is becoming unclear what can be judged based on
“appearance”, and it is important to add an evaluation of the value of umeshu to the evaluation of “aroma”, “sweetness”, “acidity”, and “balance”. After discussion, we decided that it could be used to improve the quality of plum wine. Taking into account the current trends, we keep in mind that it is an important mission that only this competition, which deals only with plum wine, can provide to indicate what makes plum wine delicious and superior, and we always strive for the future of the development of plum wine culture. We will keep an eye on the event. Umeshu Research Association, General Incorporated Association Tomohiro Myojo ◆9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024 List of winning plum wines◆ *Order by prefecture [White Liquor Plum Wine] Category Tokyo Godo Shusei Co., Ltd. “Authentic plum wine Umugiyado Ume Luxury Nidan” Wakayama Prefecture Marryo Nagaoka Co., Ltd. “Kishu Moe” Wakayama Prefecture Higashi Farm Co., Ltd. “Godaian Unprocessed Plum Wine” Wakayama Prefecture Nakano BC Co., Ltd. “Fragrance Nanko Beninanko” Tokushima Prefecture Higashino Liqueur Manufacturing Factory “Hohokekyo” Oita Prefecture Oyama Yume Kobo Co., Ltd. “3-year aged plum wine Yumehibiki” [Authentic shochu plum wine] Category Nagano Prefecture Chikuma Nishiki Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Chikuma Nishiki Premium Unprocessed Sake UMESHU” Nagano Prefecture Chikuma Nishiki Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Chikuma Nishiki UMESHU” Hyogo Prefecture Shirataka Co., Ltd. “Shirataka Plum Wine (Shochu)” Fukuoka Prefecture Nishiyoshida Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Horsetail plum wine 17%” Oita Prefecture Oyama Yume Kobo Co., Ltd. “Aged Plum Wine The FIRST” Oita Prefecture Hisaya Honten Co., Ltd. “Yanbai Umeshu” [Sake/Plum Wine] Category Yamagata Prefecture Dewazakura Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Dewazakura Authentic Plum Wine Sour Dry” Yamagata Prefecture Dewazakura Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Dewazakura Authentic Plum Wine Hanayagu Full Ripe” Nagano Prefecture Suwa Miko Tsuru Sake Brewery “Miko Tsuru Junmai Plum Wine” Aichi Prefecture Sawada Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Chita Shiraoi Plum Junmai Ginjo Plum Wine” Hyogo Prefecture Otori Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Otori Plum Wine Sake Preparation” Hyogo Prefecture Sawanotsuru Co., Ltd. “Sawanotsuru Old Sake Plum Wine” Hyogo Prefecture Sennenichi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Sennenichi Sake Brewery Plum Wine” Hiroshima Prefecture Kamotsuru Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Kamotsuru Junmai Ginjo Old Sake Plum Wine” Fukuoka Prefecture Ohga Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Tamadeizumi Plum Wine” Kumamoto Prefecture Tsujun Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Plum wine blooming in the mountain city” [Base mixed plum wine] Category Chiba Prefecture Koizumi Sake Brewery Limited Partnership Company “Tokai Umeshu” Niigata Prefecture Tamagawa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Echigo Samurai Plum Wine” Gifu Prefecture Hirata Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Umegoyomi” Kyoto Prefecture Kitagawa Honke Co., Ltd. “Hannari Kyo Plum Wine” Tokushima Prefecture Our Glass Co., Ltd. “Wasanbon Plum Wine” [Brandy blended plum wine] Category Ibaraki Prefecture Meiri Sake Rui Co., Ltd. “100 Years Plum Wine Premium Edition” Tokyo Godo Shusei Co., Ltd. “Authentic plum wine Umugiyado Ume Gokujo” Wakayama Prefecture Higashi Farm Co., Ltd. “Brandy Plum Wine Zenpachi Shoya” Wakayama Prefecture Katsutabai Co., Ltd. “Authentic plum wine Katsutabai SHOKIBAI” [Citrus blended plum wine] Category Miyagi Prefecture Nakayu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Date Nayuzu plum wine prepared by brewers” Wakayama Prefecture Nakata Foods Co., Ltd. “Runrun Mikan Plum Wine” Ehime Prefecture Meimon Sakai Co., Ltd. “Blood Orange Plum Wine” Oita Prefecture Oimatsu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Moon in the Sky Yuzu Plum Wine” [Blended plum wine] Category Saitama Prefecture King Shop Seiya Ltd. “Tsurugashima Rain Plum Wine II” Fukuoka Prefecture Ohga Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Tamadeizumi Mango Plum Wine” Saga Prefecture Amabuki Sake Brewery Limited Partnership Company “tete Aromatics Japan Botanicals” Oita Prefecture Oyama Yume Kobo Co., Ltd. “Japanese black tea plum wine Earl Gray Emotional” Oita Prefecture Nakano Sake Brewery Ltd. “Chiebijin Tea Plum Wine” [Nigori plum wine] Category Yamagata Prefecture Dewazakura Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Dewazakura Authentic Plum Wine Melting Fruit” Hyogo Prefecture Nishiyama Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Baishinshunju” Saga Prefecture Limited Partnership Company Mitsutake Sake Brewery “Mitsutake Healing Plum Wine” Kagoshima Prefecture Yamamoto Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “Satsuma Sparkling Plum Wine” [Premier Plum Wine] Category Tokyo Kou Co., Ltd. “As expected, plum wine 2021” Tokyo Ko Co., Ltd. “As expected, plum wine 2022” Aichi Prefecture Sawada Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. “UMESHU T ~Connecting~” Ehime Prefecture Meimon Sakai Co., Ltd. “Blood Orangeliss” Saga Prefecture Amabuki Sake Brewery Limited Partnership Company “Amabuki Umeshu Ryuo Daiginjo Shikomi” Oita Prefecture Oyama Yume Kobo Co., Ltd. “5-year barrel-aged barrel-bred premium plum wine Yumehibiki” ◆About the 9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024◆
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Image 9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024 Judging Scene
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Image Judging date: Saturday, October 5, 2024 Venue: Yushima Tenmangu Shrine “Baikoden”, 3-29-5 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Organized by: Umeshu Research Association [Purpose of the National Plum Wine Fair] – Spread and promote plum wine and improve its quality. ・Aim to increase sales by increasing exposure by providing news to the media and promoting it widely to general consumers. ・We will work to have umeshu recognized by government agencies as Japan’s national sake. [Subject to review] ・All beverages manufactured and sold in Japan that have the word “umeshu” in the product name or label. ・Excludes items that cannot be sold at plum wine events such as the “National Plum Wine Festival” ・Excludes those that have been inducted into the “Hall of Fame” (winner of the gold medal three times) at the “National Plum Wine Fair” ・“Plum wine” = Excludes wine made only from alcoholic fermented plum wine. [Examination method] The entered plum wine will be classified into the nine categories shown below. 1 White liquor plum wine 2 Honkaku shochu plum wine 3 Sake plum wine 4 Base mixed plum wine 5 Brandy blend plum wine 6 Citrus blend plum wine 7 Blended plum wine 8 Cloudy plum wine 9 Premier plum wine (newly established from 2024) ・Judging will be done in a blind manner. The manufacturer and brand name will be kept secret from the judges, and plum wine will be identified only by its number. ・Judges involved in plum wine production will not judge categories in which their own (or
equivalent) plum wine is exhibited. ・There will be 4 to 5 judges in each category, and a team leader will be selected for each category. After each person tastes using the judging sheet, a discussion is held between the judges who are judging the same category. ・The judges will evaluate the aroma, taste, balance, and plum flavor, and the team leader will compile a comprehensive evaluation based on the discussion and decide on the gold, silver, and bronze awards. [Criteria for each award] Gold Award: Umeshu whose aroma, taste, balance, and plum flavor have reached the highest level in Japan in each category Silver Award: Plum wine with outstanding aroma, taste, balance, and plum flavor in each category Bronze Award: Plum wine with excellent aroma, taste, balance, and plum flavor in each category ・Each team leader will write down the number of the plum wine that won the gold, silver, and bronze prizes, put it in an envelope, and seal it. ・The results will be handed over to the chairperson of the judging committee and will be kept under strict control until announcement. *A plum wine that has won the gold award three times, including those from the past National Plum Wine Fairs, is recognized as a member of the Hall of Fame. About “umeshu categorization definition” In recent years, the popularity of plum wine has expanded, and many companies have begun to produce and sell a variety of plum wine. Up until 2014, Umeshu examinations conducted in various places have shown that many Umeshu made with various base alcohols and blended Umeshu flavored with ingredients other than plums were exhibited, and this trend will continue in the future. It is expected that this will continue to expand. Under these circumstances, in order to make plum wine easy to understand and familiar to general consumers, the “National Plum Wine Fair” has decided to classify plum wine into nine categories and conduct examinations in each category. Thank you. [Distilled plum wine] Plum wine is made only from distilled liquor, plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring. Distilled alcohol refers to white liquor, genuine shochu, whiskey, vodka, rum, gin, tequila, etc., and excludes brandy. Plum wine made with brandy is classified as blended plum wine. Sugar or sweeteners, acidulants, flavorings, and coloring agents are not required. 1. White liquor plum wine White liquor refers to Korui Shochu (continuously distilled shochu). Umeshu is made using only white liquor as a base, plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring. 2. Honkaku Shochu Umeshu Honkaku Shochu refers to Otsu-type shochu (single distillation shochu). Umeshu is made using only authentic shochu as the base, plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring. [Brewed plum wine] Umeshu is made only from brewed sake, plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring. Brewery refers to brewed alcoholic beverages such as Japanese sake (sake), wine, etc. Sugar or sweeteners, acidulants, flavorings, and coloring agents are not required. 3. Japanese Sake Umeshu Plum wine is made using only Japanese sake as a base, plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring agent, and coloring agent. [Base Mixed Plum Wine (Base Kongou Meshu)] Umeshu is made from only plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring agent, and is based on multiple alcoholic beverages of different classifications, mainly distilled liquor or brewed liquor. Distilled alcohol refers to white liquor, genuine shochu, whiskey, vodka, rum, gin, tequila, etc., and excludes brandy. Plum wine made with brandy is classified as blended plum wine. Brewery refers to brewed alcoholic beverages such as Japanese sake (sake), wine, etc. Sugar or sweeteners, acidulants, flavorings, and coloring agents are not required. 4. Base mixed plum wine Plum wine is made from only plum fruit, sugar or sweetener, acidulant, flavoring, and coloring agent, and is based on multiple alcoholic beverages of different classifications, mainly distilled or brewed alcoholic beverages. [Blend plum wine] Plum wine made by adding alcoholic beverages or fruits/juices, spices, etc. that give a specific flavor, or plum wine made by adding ingredients other than those specified for distilled plum wine, brewed plum wine, and base mixed plum wine. 5. Brandy blend plum wine Plum wine made using brandy in addition to the ingredients specified for distilled plum wine, brewed plum wine, and base mixed plum wine. 6. Citrus blend plum wine Plum wine made using citrus fruit and fruit juice in addition to the ingredients specified for distilled plum wine, brewed plum wine, and base mixed plum wine. 7. Blended plum wine Blend plum wine excluding brandy blend plum wine and citrus blend plum wine. [Nigori Umeshu] Umeshu is made by adding solids to give the flavor, such as plum pulp or other fruit pulp, to make it cloudy. 8. Nigori plum wine Plum wine is made cloudy by adding solids to give the flavor of plum pulp and other fruit pulp. [Premier Umeshu] Plum wine with a suggested retail price (reference retail price) of 5,000 yen (excluding tax) or more per 720ml. 9.Premier plum wine Plum wine with a suggested retail price (reference retail price) of 5,000 yen (excluding tax) or more per 720ml. *Sugar or sweetener refers to sugar (rock sugar, double sugar, white sugar, liquid sugar, Wasanbon sugar, beet sugar, brown sugar, etc.), fructose, oligosaccharide, honey, stevia, etc. * Plum wine that is based on multiple alcoholic beverages in the same classification is not considered a base mixed plum wine. (Plum wine based on multiple types of authentic shochu = authentic shochu plum wine, plum wine based on multiple types of sake = Japanese sake plum wine) ◆“Gold Award,” “Silver Award,” and “Bronze Award” announced from 165 plum wines from all over Japan◆ Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards were determined for each of the nine categories. We will hold an award ceremony and make an announcement. At the awards ceremony, the winners will be awarded certificates and medals. [9th National Plum Wine Fair 2024 Award Ceremony] Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024 Venue: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture Kitano Tenmangu Shrine “Kobaiden” Plum wine fans across the country, please look forward to the announcement. We would also like to invite all members of the media to be present at this moment.
Image “8th National Plum Wine Fair 2023” Award Ceremony
Image “8th National Plum Wine Fair 2023” Hall of Fame Plum Wine Award Sponsored by: National Plum Wine Fair Executive Committee Secretariat: Umeshu Research Association Inquiries: Phone 03-6228-1183/Email info@umeshu-sg.jp Umeshu Research Association Official Site
https://umeshu-sg.jp/

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