People who love to watch Japanese dramas are no strangers to umeboshi (plum wine), which has been featured in both Japanese TV dramas and movies.

Now more and more young people are joining the ranks of the umeboshi, so why are so many people so keen on it?

Today I will give you a brief introduction.

When it comes to the origin of plum wine, we still have to mention our own wine culture.

It is understood that plum wine was first recorded in the ancient Chinese book "Three Kingdoms", there was a classic scene of "plum boiled wine heroes".

In fact, plum wine is a kind of soaked wine in which the plums are soaked in rice distilled liquor for a long time to make them fully flavored.

Umekojiru is generally low in alcohol content, usually ranging from eight to fifteen percent, and is usually consumed as an aperitif.

Umeshu, one of Japan's most distinctive liquors, should not be missed by those who are planning to visit Japan recently.

Umeshu, as the name suggests, is made from plums, so the quality of the plums is directly related to the quality of the sake.

The best quality plums have an oily color and a sweet taste.

Japan's main plum producing areas are Wakayama, Gunma, and Kanagawa prefectures, with Wakayama's Nanko plums being the best, with large fruits and thick, soft flesh.

Plums of the highest quality exhibit different flavors depending on the brewing process and the base wine, and in general, the more elaborate the brewing technique, the richer the flavor of the plum wine.

After a long soaking time in alcohol, the aroma of plums is fully released, so people can clearly feel the unique fragrance of plum wine when quoting plum wine.

Usually, shochu is ready for sale in a year, but lower-alcohol sake takes longer, about three years, to mature.

There are many plum wines on the market that are soaked in ume plums to make them look more authentic, but these are likely to have been preserved so that the plums are still glossy and beautiful after a long period of soaking.

Plum wine can be made in the same way as wine.

Interested partners may wish to DIY at home, in fact, the production method is quite simple.

All you need to do in advance is to prepare plums, sugar and wine.

The plums used to make the wine need to be full of fruit, with a small core, high acidity, lime green and hard and intact.

Of course, you can also choose to use yellow ripe plums to make wine, but this kind of plums to make plum wine taste sweet.

The sugar used to make the wine can be rock sugar, white granulated sugar, honey and so on.

Brown sugar is the most effective.

When making the wine, put the plums and sugar into the brewing vessel, press a layer of sugar on the top, and then slowly fill it with high quality wine and keep it in a cool place.

It is necessary to use high-alcohol sake to brew plum wine, and usually shochu is used to make plum wine.

Because lower-alcohol ones cannot be effectively sterilized, the resulting sake is relatively cloudy and must be stored refrigerated.

Drinking umeshu can depend on your personal preference.

Cold drinks on the rocks or chilled;

Hot drinks mixed with heated purified water;

Cocktails, mixed with fruit juice, soft drinks, soda, green tea, etc., according to preference.

Below I will give you based on the netizen's ratings, for you to recommend a few good taste, high value, cost-effective plum wine, the Spring Festival is coming you may want to try.

Haoga - Fruit Flesh Plum Wine

This wine is a rare cloudy plum wine, rich in ground plum flesh, with a feeling of concentrated fruit juice, very real plum aroma, obvious brown sugar aroma, light floral and creamy flavor, very high acidity but enticing, mouthful, mouthful, with a long aftertaste, and it is recommended to drink with soda water.

Umenojuku - Nara Plum Wine

Loquat aroma is dominant, a kind of honeyed Kawabe loquat paste aroma, with light savory aroma, with an inconspicuous dried mushroom note, lighter bodied, with lower acidity, sweet flavor, significant plum flavor in the mouth, like creamy prune candy.

Riquan - Brown Sugar Plum Wine

Intense nose of dried mushrooms, light tobacco aroma, light plum flavor, in the mouth with cherry, brown sugar, creamy nose, medium-bodied, slight bitterness, with a long and plummy finish.

Suntory Yamazaki Steamer - Yamazaki Plum Wine

Bottled in a whisky bottle, the bottle is long and elegant, with a barrel print, giving it a premium feel.

Made with whisky, it is rich with vanilla, creamy, and smoky flavors, with a tangy texture, prominent whisky flavors, and a rich finish with a hint of plum bitterness.

Plums are rich in amino acids, oxalic acid, malic acid, vitamins and a large number of beneficial mineral elements, which are beneficial in relieving symptoms such as high blood pressure, obesity, and restlessness.

Therefore, plum wine is usually drunk as an aperitif also favored by female consumers.