Naturally grown Koshu grapes Gonzaemon Wine (Koshu 2016)

The spirit of "Look at the forest and learn." A carefully crafted wine made from aged grass-grown grapes.

Sakuma Gonzaemon's grapes are grown in a more natural environment. For decades now, they have not used any pesticides, fertilizers, or chemicals that kill seeds. As proof of this, grass grows freely in the orchard, and there are many spiders and other insects living there. Even a spider doctor has come to visit. They grow five types of grapes in the orchard. I think this is the true taste of grapes. People who have tried them say that when they eat refreshing, pure grapes, they feel as if their body is being purified. This wine is made from those grapes without using any antioxidants. A buyer in Georgia, where Koshu originates, says that the taste is similar to that of wine grown and brewed in Georgia.

Grass-grown vineyard

"What kind of greenhouse is this?" I think anyone who visits my vineyard would think this. It is covered with lush grass, and crops such as giant Akita butterbur grow wild. Some people worry, saying, "It's hard to walk freely. You can't see the ground. I'm worried something might have fallen below." Grass cultivation without cutting the grass is just like a jungle. Many vineyards cut the grass to make it easier to harvest, so some people think that they are cutting corners .

Grapes have roots, so they cannot be tilled like fields. Instead, weeds spread their roots and make the soil fluffy. The grass eventually rots and becomes nutrients for the grapes, and this cycle repeats, allowing the grapes to grow without fertilizer, preventing mass insect outbreaks, and creating an ecosystem.

Without using any chemicals to remove seeds, the grapes are slowly ripened to perfection, and all of them have a deep flavor, with an average sugar content of over 20%. I think that by not using any additional materials, the unique flavor of each variety has come out better. No matter how much work it takes to grow, we can't stop this natural cultivation for the sake of the people who look forward to it every year.

We ask a small family-run winery that makes wine using natural yeast to brew our wine, and every year we produce a carefully crafted wine using the Koshu variety without the use of any antioxidants.