Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2014

Japanese people are increasingly choosing to drink Western-style wine with their dinners—and rather than seeking out snacks that match their liquor, the trend is beginning to reverse—with drinkers looking for beverages that suit their hard-cooked cuisine. This has left traditional purveyors of Japanese alcohol looking for new ways to draw consumers back to the fold. Suntory has jumped into the fray with what it calls Nomiwataru Umeshu (¥540, 500ml), which translates literally as “perfectly clear plum wine.” While it looks like water, this sweet-but-refreshing drink packs a 10% alcoholic punch, and makes the perfect match for Japanese (and other!) dishes.