Making wine is difficult anywhere in Japan, but try doing it in a part of the country that has been rocked by an earthquake and tsunami, and spurned because of a nuclear disaster.
Akiu Winery, near Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture that¡¯s about 300 kilometers north of Tokyo, isn¡¯t deterred by those challenges. Opened in December with financial help from the Mitsubishi Corp. Disaster Relief Foundation, it aims to pioneer a wine tourism-led revival in Japan¡¯s northeast, which was already one of the country¡¯s most economically depressed regions even before catastrophe struck.
Like many other regions in Japan, Miyagi lacks an abundance of stony, limestone soils and dry weather favorable for grape-growing. Yet interest and demand for locally made wines is growing, thanks in part to the successes of vintners in Hokkaido and Yamanashi Prefecture.
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