This extremely detailed and quite long article although three years old sums up nicely the wine market in Japan. The gaps they mention in the article in retail price (namely the $12-16 price range) are very apparent while looking through grocery stores in my area. To find premium wines consumers are left with only the internet and specialty wine shops.
The article is a bit long but worth the read if you are at all interested in wine and the Japanese market. I thought it appropriate with the release yesterday of Beaujolais Nouveau in Japanese stores.
