The new frontiers of wine. Japan, China and the cool north of Europe.

Japan and Koshu

Grapes were grown in Japan as early as the 8th century, but winemaking only really took off in the 19th century. Most Japanese wine comes from the main island of Honshu, with Yamanashi, Nagano, Yamagata and Hokkaido the key prefectures. Summers are humid and vines must face typhoons and heavy snow, so many are trained high on pergolas to let air circulate and reduce fungal disease.

Japan's signature grape is Koshu, a pink-skinned variety that recent research suggests is mostly Vitis vinifera with some Asian species in its ancestry. Its thick skin resists rot. Around 95% is grown in Yamanashi, near Mount Fuji. Once mostly made sweet, Koshu is now usually dry or sparkling: light, delicate and savory, with white peach and citrus. Host Sarah Heller MW and sommelier Paz Levinson taste a Koshu from Grace and pair it with a salmon poke bowl.

China: deserts, mountains and vine burial

China is now among the world's top ten wine producers. Modern wine production began around the 1950s, though evidence of fermented drinks from wild grapes at Jiahu dates to around 7000 BC. Shandong is the largest region and home to Changyu, China's first modern winery, founded in 1892. Its maritime climate brings summer rain, so hardy grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate.

In Ningxia, vineyards lie in the foothills of the Helan Mountains, irrigated by the Yellow River. Winters are so harsh that vines must be buried each year to survive. China searched for a signature grape in Cabernet Gernischt, now known to be Carménère, and lately in Marselan, a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that is now second only to Cabernet Sauvignon in plantings. Sarah shares a Marselan and Syrah blend from a small Ningxia project, a reminder that China is not only about big names.

England and the cool north

Warmer temperatures are making northern Europe more suitable for vines. In England most vineyards are in the southeast, and the country is best known for traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, sometimes on chalk soils similar to Champagne's. The hosts compare an English sparkling wine from Nyetimber with a Champagne side by side.

England also grows Bacchus, a German crossing that, when yields are kept low, gives fresh, aromatic wines often called England's answer to Sauvignon Blanc. For reds, cold-hardy hybrids such as Regent and Rondo are planted from England to the Netherlands and Sweden. Regent gives deeply colored wines with cherry and blackcurrant fruit, and the hosts taste a Dutch example with an entrecôte and berry balsamic sauce.

The experiment: what yield means

Yield is one of the most debated terms in wine. More fruit means more wine to sell, but it can mean less concentration. In a very wet and very funny experiment, Paz builds a model vine to show how a plant shares its water and energy among its bunches, and what happens after a green harvest. Find out why cutting too many bunches does not keep improving quality.

Why these regions matter

Across this episode, one theme stands out: winemakers are pushing to higher altitudes and higher latitudes in search of cooler conditions. Sarah has seen vineyards at 2,600 meters in the Himalayas and in the middle of the desert. Japan, China and England each show how grape choice, training and hard work can overcome difficult climates.

As always, there are food pairings explained step by step and plenty of tasting notes to help you build your own vocabulary. The episode helps you prepare for WSET Level 3 and opens your eyes to wines you may soon find on your local shelf.