The area around the Osaka and Umeda stations is an easy starting point to get to Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, and other areas in the Kansai region if you use local JR lines or private railways. Shin-Osaka Station, a regular stop for the Shinkansen, is also nearby. You'll find a whole row of department stores in the Umeda location, like Hankyu, Hanshin, and Daimaru, plus specialty retailers like Grand Front Osaka, LUCUA Osaka, LINKS UMEDA, and Yodobashi Camera Multimedia. The area has foreign-owned hotels and business hotels; truly an excellent foothold for further travel.

Meanwhile, underground the stations at the Whity Umeda shopping center, Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka hit the scene in Winter 2019. As a location where you can have the entire line up of Grande Polaire, around 30 varieties, the bar is understandably popular.

Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka is a dining establishment created with the intent of letting you experience four wine-making areas all while you’re in Osaka. The wine lineup is sorted by region: Yoichi (Hokkaido), Nagano, Yamanashi, and Okayama. The food is similarly organized by ingredient source, creating culinary experiences that bring up images of natural splendor.
And except for one kind of sparkling wine, you can have all the wines by-the-glass—so you and try everything that strikes your fancy!

The counter area near the entrance lets you both enjoy wine and food and watch dishes being prepared. Moving further into the bar, the wide-open dining area is a relaxing place to spend your time. The dining area is also available for large parties.

Again, Grande Polaire is a brand of fine wine made with 100% Japanese grapes. Since 2003, the brand has gathered a following for its delicately balanced flavors and has achieved many awards at wine contests worldwide.

Japan stretches in a bow-like arc from south to north, with differing climates and ecosystems. On the whole, Japan's climate is temperate, but the southern areas are subtropical, and the northern areas can be subarctic. Even in the same season, northern and southern Japan can experience marked differences in temperature.
Each winemaking region in Japan gets the most out of their grapes by using varieties suited for their climates and soil.

■Yoichi, Hokkaido
Hokkaido is a subarctic region in the northernmost part of Japan. The chilly climate lends itself to growing grape varieties from Germany, particularly exquisite Kerner, which are aromatic, have a acidity　that washes over the palate, but also a hidden sweetness.

■Nagano
Sandwiched by mountains, Nagano's climate is temperate. It's the perfect place for growing high-quality European grapes, making for particularly good Chardonnay, a variety loved around the world for making white wine. Their flavor is particularly fruity, with the right balance of acidity.

■Yamanashi
The origin of wine in Japan, and one of the best places in Japan for growing native grapes. Yamanashi Prefecture is hot and humid, making it the best place to grow grapes native to Japan. Try their “Kai Noir,” a wine with a bold fruity and earthen aroma.

■Okayama
Okayama is another area with a warm climate and is known for growing a variety of fruit. Their flavorful varieties like "Muscat Bailey A" and, more famously, the "Muscat of Alexandria," have irresistible ripe flavor.

Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka has an extensive menu of dishes explicitly created for pairings with wine. Drinking wine with your meal creates new combinations of flavor and aroma. Their menu includes dishes inspired by both Japanese and western cuisine. Let's see some wine pairings on their menu!

Boiled octopus and potato with cream dressing, sprinkled with paprika powder. A dish modeled after Spanish tapas, the perfect appetizer.
Makes for an excellent pairing with the aromatic, refined, and fruity "Okayama Muscat of Alexandria Aromatic Blanc."

A flavorful salad marked by the deep taste of gorgonzola. Topped with plenty of Caesar salad dressing for a rich flavor.
The similarly rich Koshu wine creates an incredible flavor blend with the gorgonzola. Now, this is a pairing for adults.

Roast beef cut far thinner than the usual fare, creating a silky texture. It’s doused with both onion sauce and a tart sauce, creating a dish whose flavors you'll never tire of.
Its light and refreshing flavor goes best with the similarly mild Yoichi Pinot Noir from Hokkaido. Its bright aroma and mild tannin, fruity flavor, and refreshing acidity bring out the beef's rich flavor.

The wild flavor of Hokkaido sika venison, blanketed in a rich red wine sauce. The contrast between its juicy red meat and melt-in-your-mouth fat is irresistible.
This dish is paired with Meritage from Nagano. It possesses a powerful aroma like ripe cherries, and its tannin creates deep chocolatey notes—a perfect partner for the bold flavor of venison.

The routes around Osaka and Umeda Stations branch and merge in a complex network, outdoors and through large buildings, rendering map apps and the like difficult to use. Perhaps the best way to get around is to descend to the walkways below Osaka and Umeda Stations and follow signs hanging from the ceiling to get to your destination.
Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka is conveniently located at the fountain plaza in Whity Umeda. Let's take a look at what an actual trip from Osaka Station to the wine bar would look like.

There are a couple of ways past the ticket gates in Osaka Station, but the closest one to Whity Umeda is the Midosuji Gate. Don't forget that if you have a transit IC card like SUICA or ICOCA, you can just touch it to the gate's card reader for a smooth exit or entrance.

Having passed through the ticket gate...

Turn right and go straight forward

This will take you outside, then across the street...

Pass straight by the bus stop on your right

Before long, you'll run into an entrance connected to Whity Umeda

Descending the stairs, turn towards the direction of Osaka Metro Higashi-Umeda Station

Here's the entrance to Whity Umeda. Take the corridor on the left in this image

Passing by Higashi-Umeda Station, continue forward. Follow the directions near the ceiling towards Fountain Plaza.

Continue to Fountain Plaza

The entrance to Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka is at the plaza!

In Grande Polaire, you can sense the passion of Japan's vineyard owners and winemakers. Their goal is to make delicious wine that brings out the tartness of grapes, their aroma and flavor, to become the flavor "grapes themselves aspire to."
And at Grande Polaire Wine Bar Osaka, you can compare wines from all four winemaking regions of Japan by the glass or half-glass in a casual environment. When in Osaka, why not take a moment to enjoy pairings of fantastic cuisine with wine from all four regions?