Black Chalk enters Japanese market

By Lisa Riley

Published: 06 August, 2020

English wine producer Black Chalk has secured distribution in Japan in a move driven by Black Chalk director and investor, Kenya Matsumoto.

Matsumoto is behind Frontive Holding, the agency which Black Chalk has made responsible for securing distribution, as well as for supplying direct to consumer via online.

Black Chalk said it would be “investing significantly” in the Japanese market and, in what it believes to be “a first” for an English wine brand, would put a dedicated team in place, which will operate out of Tokyo.

Black Chalk has initially secured listings in a handful of Japan’s Michelin-starred restaurants, including Kikunoi in Kyoto, Gion Kawakami in Kyoto, Sushi Sho in Tokyo, Nakashima in Hiroshima, and in luxury department stores Mitsukoshi-Isetan and Hankyu.

“We have prioritised Japan as our target export market from the outset. There is such a strong synergy between English sparkling wine and Japanese cuisine, and Japan is a market where quality, boutique brands are very highly valued,” said Jacob Leadley, Black Chalk’s winemaker and CEO.

“After the last few months when, like others in the English wine industry, we were impacted by lockdown, this has been a really positive move for us and underlines how important export markets will be moving forward.”

The plan was for Frontive Holdings to become the gateway to other key markets in Asia, specifically China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, he added.

The first shipment of Black Chalk – Black Chalk’s 2015 Classic and the soon-to-be-released 2017 Wild Rose – will arrive in Japan later this month in time for the forthcoming UK trade fairs in Tokyo and Osaka.

Over the last 10 months, Black Chalk has announced a series of expansion plans. In September 2019, it secured a £1.5m investment with a tasting room and shop subsequently opened.

In January this year, the producer acquired four vineyard sites spanning 12ha in Hampshire’s Test Valley, and build started on a new winery. The winery is now nearing the final stages of construction and will be ready to receive the 2020 harvest.

Earlier this week, Black Chalk Classic 2016 was awarded a gold medal at the Wine GB Awards, announced on 4August 2020.

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