A white grape bred from Riesling and Trollinger. It carries Riesling's high acidity alongside a Muscat-like perfume. Its cold hardiness has made it a mainstay in Hokkaido, where Yoichi and Sorachi have adopted it as a signature grape.
Bred in 1929 by the German breeder August Herold and named after the poet Justinus Kerner. Plantings surged in Germany in the 1970s before declining as growers returned to Riesling. In Japan it was introduced to Hokkaido in the 1980s and settled well into the cool climate.
Hokkaido Kerner is a wine I always cite when showing what Japanese wine can do. Muscat perfume over a dry palate suits Japanese food remarkably well, and plenty of bottles are priced to overturn the assumption that Japanese wine is expensive.