Working women in Japan driving demand for wine

Tokyo

JAPAN'S swelling ranks of working women have grape growers 10,000 miles away cheering.

Chilean vintners have emerged as the biggest beneficiary of Japan's booming wine market. Their low-priced, fruit-driven product has found a receptive niche among women in their 40s and 50s, who have helped boost wine consumption to a new record every year since 2012.

"Women drink more as their participation in the labour market is increasing, and their disposable incomes are expanding," said Naoko Kuga, an analyst who tracks lifestyle changes at NLI Research Institute in Tokyo. "This trend works positively for wine consumption."

And for Chile. The Latin American nation overtook France as Japan's top wine supplier in 2015, commanding a dominant presence in supermarkets and convenience stores - fertile ground for marketers targeting women. Vina Concha & Toro SA, the Santiago-based producer of Casillero del Diablo cabernet sauvignons and merlots, repo…