We dare to mix Chardonnay with Chardonnay.
Recently, generically marketed lifestyle goods producer Muji announced on social media that they were selling a unique pair of grape sodas. Unlike ordinary grape drinks, these were made with the grapes used in the beloved Cabernet red wine and Chardonnay white wine. It certainly looked tempting and with the buzz it was generating online, our writer Tasuku Egawa decided to hurry to his nearest Muji to try some before it sold out.
Luckily, that was not the case with these drinks and there were still plenty in stock by the time he arrived. He bought a 350-milliliter bottle of each for 190 yen (US$1.30). That was a little high since a 500-milliliter bottle of Grape Fanta would be significantly less. Still, this used 20 percent actual juice, and that juice was 100-percent Chardonnay and Cabernet grapes grown in Italy, so it was understandable.
On his way home he looked at the label more carefully. Tasuku found that they were sweetened further with sugar and also had grape extract, likely from a different kind of grape. He wasn’t sure how this might affect the taste so he decided to swing by grocery store Kaldi and buy an actual bottle of 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from Redwoods Vineyard in California and a bottle of La Petite Gargotte Chardonnay from Cotes de Gascogne in France to take notes. Each bottle cost around 1,000 yen which seemed like a fair comparison for a couple of fizzy drinks.
Then came the time to taste. Tasuku cracked open the Muji Cabernet soda and poured a glass. He tried to waft the bouquet but didn’t detect much of a grape scent at all. It was more like a starchy sweetness that you might expect from any carbonated soft drink.
The color looked on point though, and the level of carbonation seemed just right.
He also poured a glass of the Cabernet wine for a better visual comparison.
Taking a sip of the Muji soda, Tasuku’s tongue was greeted with a pleasant sweetness but not much else. There weren’t any subtle notes of bitterness that one might find in pure grape juice, but the 20 percent inclusion of juice did give it a fresher and fuller taste than other grape sodas. It was more like a glass of Welch’s that was diluted with a syrupy sugar.
The sweetness of the Muji Cabernet makes it stand better on its own rather than pairing it with some meat like Tasuku would with a real Cabernet.
▼ Kaldi also had some prosciutto, but Tasuku saved it for the real wine.
Pouring a glass of the Muji Chardonnay was very similar to the Cabernet. It had the same plain smell but again captured the visual appearance of the white wine very well.
Our writer poured a glass of the real Chardonnay too for comparison’s sake.
Even though white wine can be quite tangy, the sweetness of the Muji soda blew away the French Chardonnay. Perhaps it was because Tasuku selected a relatively dry wine because that’s what he prefers.
Still, even though the Muji Chardonnay was way more on the sweet side of things, it had that same fresh quality that the Muji Cabernet had compared with other grape sodas, which made them more enjoyable to drink.
Looking at his half-full glasses, our writer got the urge to mix and match. First, he poured the Muji Cabernet into the Redwood Cabernet and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was like red wine mixed with ginger ale and gave off a sophisticated yet fun flavor that would be great for enjoying wine while keeping the alcohol consumption at bay.
Doing the same with the Muji Chardonnay and French Chardonnay, the real wine helped to tame the powerful sweetness of the soda for a more balanced taste. The combination reminded our writer of a sangria.
Speaking of sangria, many people probably don’t realize this but the simple act of letting fruit soak in wine to make the popular beverage at home without a license is technically illegal in Japan. However, simply adding something to wine and drinking it right away is permitted by law, which means blending Muji’s soda and real Chardonnay is a great way to get that sangria taste without worrying about the cops kicking in your door.
So, if you want a grape soda that’s a little more grapey than the rest or a tasty way to moderate your wine drinking, Muji’s sodas can really hit the spot.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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