Students from Kobe College on Okadayama teamed up with the sake brewery Hakutaka to create an original plum wine as a way to help energize the local community.
We heard it would be served at the “Deai Market” held on the 7th at Mondo Yakujin Tokoji Temple, so we went to check it out right away.
Original Plum Wine “Koiume”
It isn’t widely known, but plums are actually harvested within Nishinomiya City.
I didn’t really know that either, but come to think of it, there are quite a few plum groves around the city.
The students noticed that and came up with the idea of pairing Nishinomiya plums with sake, one of the city’s local specialties, to make plum wine.
The result is this “Koiume.”
The name probably plays on “koi” meaning both “rich” and “love.”
It’s the product of the creativity and drive you’d expect from university students, and above all, their determination to liven up the local area.
Youth really is wonderful…
There were also messages from the students, Hakutaka, and people from the Mondo area.
Apparently, they recommend drinking it on the rocks.
I tried some too, and as the name “Koiume” suggests, it had a rich, full-bodied flavor.
To be honest, I had wondered, “Can plums from Nishinomiya really bring out a proper plum wine flavor?” But it turned out to have a much deeper and richer taste than I expected.
They must have put a lot of thought into the brewing method as well.
Original beer cocktails were also being served that day.
You drink it while crushing the plum, and this too was an unusual cocktail with a rich plum aroma.
The energy from the local residents and students felt so good that I ended up drinking a little too much in the middle of the day…
It seems university students around the city are working on all kinds of projects, so I’d like to keep an eye on what they do next.
This plum wine is apparently planned to be served in the future at places such as “Jutoya” near Mondo-Yakujin Station.
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