Mercian

Under the wine business’s slogan, “Creating a pleasant future with wine,” Mercian conducts corporate activities to realize a spiritually rich society, valuing gratitude for society, the blessings of nature, and all stakeholders, including consumers, just as is stated by our company name, which combines the French words “Merci” (thank you) and “an” (person).

As a leading wine company, we continue to take on the challenges of promoting the appeal of the wine market and creating a new wine culture, always implementing consumer-based management, and continuously providing safe, secure, high-value added, and attractive products and services for consumers.

We have also received high praise over the years due to the expansion of the distilled spirit business, including single-distilled shochu and other shochu in Yatsushiro-Shiranuigura Distillery, and of the umeshu business by using technology cultivated from wine and shochu production.

June 5, 2023

  • Based on CSV management, and by understanding consumers’ insights, provide a valuable experience in enjoying a life with wine

  • Based on CSV management, and by understanding consumers’ insights, provide a valuable experience in enjoying a life with wine

The appeal of wine is its variety, and consumers select different types of wine depending on their level of interest in wine and the occasion. Each of our wine brands has a unique charm and serves as a door that welcomes consumers, so by taking advantage of this, we can provide consumers with a rich life with wine and create a future in Japan where enjoying wine is commonplace.

  • Image:Creating a pleasant future with wine

  • Image:Creating a pleasant future with wine

2022 Year in Review
  • Following the lift of movement restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the on-premise wine market is on track to recovery, the off-premise wine market is undergoing a sharp decline in consumption. Due to this, the Japanese wine market saw a 3% total decrease in wine sales, 7% for Domestically Produced wine sales and 1% for imported wine sales, in 2022 compared to 2021. Our company saw a total decrease of 6% in wine sales, 7% for domestic wine and 4% for imported wine, on a quantity base.
  • Bistro, a Domestically Produced wine; imported wines, including the high-priced wine Robert Mondavi and a focus brand wine, Casillero del Diablo; and Mercian Wines, a new wine brand launched in 2022, all performed well.
2023 Initiatives
  • We will expand the wine market by refining product value in each category and promoting the appeal of wine. More specifically, we will spread awareness of Oishii-Sankaboushizai-Mutenka Wine, a Domestically Produced wine for wine beginners; wine brands that expand the enjoyment of wine, including Mercian Wines, which was launched in 2022, and Casillero del Diablo from Chile’s No. 1 winery;* and Château Mercian, a wine brand that promotes the appeal of wine.
  • Through the Mercian Wines series that was launched in order to provide a new option of wine, we cooperated with producers across the world and released products that were co-created for Japanese consumers. We are creating and providing a new wine that has the appeal of sustainability. Additionally, we are promoting the added value of the brands of our overseas partners, along with their stories, through various information channels. We will expand the Japanese wine market by focusing on Casillero del Diablo, which sold particularly well.

  • 2023, which marks the 145th anniversary of Japanese wine production and the 20th anniversary of the opening of Mariko Vineyard, will be an important year for Japan wine. We aim to further revitalize the Japanese wine market by using sales channels for commercial and industrial use as well as enrich contents for consumer experiences (events for community coexistence, a special tour, etc.) so Japan will be recognized as one of the world's foremost wine regions. In particular, we rebranded the Quality series (Aiakane, Moegi, and Momoiro) for the first time in five years, in April, and we aim to acquire trial users, increase the recognition of Château Mercian, and expand sales.

  • INTELVID-Chile

Starting consulting services for start-up wineries for the sustainable growth of Japan wine

  • Katsuhisa Fujino Senior Winemaker Château Mercian Brand Group, Marketing Department Mercian Corporation

  • Katsuhisa Fujino Senior Winemaker Château Mercian Brand Group, Marketing Department Mercian Corporation

Despite the Japanese wine market continuing to be stagnant, the share of Japan wines in the market increased by approximately 1.5 times from 2015 to 2021, and the number of wineries increased by approximately 1.5 times over the last five years. However, many start-up wineries have low revenue and are small-scale, and the number of places to systematically learn wine production is limited, so the wineries face big challenges in terms of quality, including cultivation, vinification technique, and more. In 2022, to solve these structural issues in the Japan wine industry, we started a consulting business for start-up wineries, taking advantage of our winemaking experts and 145 years of wine production knowledge.

Our company has provided appropriate support according to each winery’s issues, from technical support for viniculture and vinification to a wide range of consulting services ranging from marketing to sales, by taking advantage of our human and intellectual assets. Currently, we mainly provide consulting services at four wineries in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. We believe that our consulting services will revitalize the whole Japan wine market and lead to the growth of our Japan wine. We will contribute to revitalizing the Japan wine market and increasing the appeal of the market by not only supporting Japanese wineries but also fulfilling our role to realize the sustainable growth of the Japan wine industry.

  • Reference: Overview of the Alcohol Production Industry and Alcohol Wholesale Industry, National Tax Agency. Japanese only.