'Japan is a natural home for our wines in Asia'

Wine producer Dreissigacker saw wine sales surge during the World Expo held in Osaka this year as it spotlights Japan as an increasingly important market for German Riesling.

The Osaka Expo, which took place for six months from 13 April to 13 October 2025, was a World Expo organised and sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions.

German wine producer Dreissigacker has said its success during the expo is a testament to the rising relevance of German Riesling in Japan and across Asia.

“Japan has always shown a remarkable sensibility for wines that express place, precision, and balance — much like the Burgundian philosophy that inspires our single-vineyard Rieslings,” said Jochen Dreissigacker, who took over the family estate in 2001.

More than 1,040 bottles of Dreissigacker Riesling were sold at the German Pavilion’s flagship restaurant, Oishii! during the six-month expo. Dreissigacker’s organically farmed, dry Rheinhessen Riesling became one of the top-performing wines at the Pavilion, poured by the glass and paired with a rotating menu of modern Japanese dishes.

Dreissigacker said: “The Japanese approach to food — where pairing, harmony, and detail matter as much as taste — resonates profoundly with how we craft our wines.”

He argued that shared qualities of “craftsmanship, refinement and storytelling” make Japan “a natural home for our wines in Asia”.

Francesca Martin, founding partner and chief marketing officer at brand building agency Nimbility, said the German producer’s sales in Osaka are a “textbook success story”.

“It shows what happens when a wine with the right profile — dry, crisp, and textured — meets the right culinary context. Jochen Dreissigacker’s wines are not only beautifully made, but incredibly well-suited to Japanese cuisine. It really exciting to see the market respond in real time,” she said.

As Dreissigacker’s APAC partner, Nimbility will continue to leverage this momentum to grow long-term distribution and visibility for German Riesling in the region.