Fence-style cultivation has failed many times.
Then, I finally returned from France.

"DWWA (Decanter World Wine Awards)" is one of the world's largest wine competitions, sponsored by the famous British wine magazine "Decanter". The total number of entries in 2014 was 1 items, and only 5007 wines received gold medals. It's only a 158% hurdle.

Under such circumstances, ``Cuvée Misawa Akeno Koshu 2013'' competed equally with famous French white wines such as Chablis special grade and Meursault first grade, and became the first Japanese wine to win the gold medal. This award is of great value not because it is the first time a Japanese wine has achieved this feat, but because Koshu has been recognized by the world.

The success of Koshu has been Gracewine's earnest desire since the days of Ayana Misawa's father, Shigekei Misawa. This is because, for many years, this Japanese variety has always been looked down upon, compared to major French varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Koshu crossed the Silk Road from the Caucasus region, passed through China, and arrived in Japan more than 1000 years ago. Although it inherits the blood of a European variety (Vitis vinifera) that is said to be suitable for winemaking, it has a number of drawbacks as a wine, such as difficulty in increasing sugar content, mild aroma, soft acidity, and sometimes remaining astringent. Ta.

In Japan, where there was no custom of making wine until the Meiji period, Koshu has a long history of being grown for raw consumption. Grapes for table consumption don't need the high sugar content or concentration of flavor required for winemaking, and what's more important to farmers is how many grapes they can get from a single vine. Of course, this was probably to suit Japan's humid climate, but the decision was made to create racks that had a high yield (yield per crop) and were easy to work with.

On the other hand, in Europe, the home of wine, trellising is only practiced in a few regions, and the hedge-style cultivation method is generally used. This is because the grapes receive plenty of sunlight, have excellent ventilation, and can easily adjust the yield. In fact, Shikei had also tried the fence-style cultivation in Koshu. This was in 1992, a quarter of a century ago. However, Koshu is a strong tree, so when I tried to use it as a hedge, the branches and leaves became unruly, and in the end, it did not bear fruit, so I gave up on it after four years of trying.

Still, Shigeta believed that the only way to improve the quality of Koshu was to improve its cultivation methods, so in 2005 he took on the challenge of creating hedges again. Just in time, we received word that Koshu, which had been transferred from Katsunuma to Rheingau in Germany, had produced excellent fruit in a hedge. The farm this time was planted at Misawa Farm in Akeno-cho, Hokuto City, which opened in 2002. In 2007, two years after taking on the challenge again, Ayana returned to Japan after completing her training in France.

Finally bearing fruit.
with fragrant grapes
The best wine in the history of Chuo Winery

From here, the Koshu project, a collaboration between father and daughter, begins. The Koshu hedgerows bore fruit for the first time in 2007, as if to welcome Ayana back to Japan. However, its quality is no different from that of shelf-made products. So Ayana decided to try her ridge system, following the advice of Professor Cobbs Hunter, her teacher when she studied grape physiology in South Africa. This is a cultivation method in which mounds of soil are placed around the base of the vines to prevent the roots from absorbing more water than necessary.

However, even with the ridge system, results are not readily apparent. There was a glimmer of hope in 2009, but Koshu was once again mediocre the following year. In 2012, we finally exceeded our sugar content goal of 20 degrees. Then, in 2013, Koshu grapes, which Ayana had never seen before, ripened.

``I thought a miracle had happened. Koshu was born, only about the size of a fist, and with small fruit.The sugar content in one cluster reached 25 degrees,'' Ayana said. Speak shiningly.

The wine made from the grapes at this time is the ``Cuvée Misawa Akeno Koshu 2013,'' which won the gold medal at the DWWA. From the following year onwards, ``Grace Koshu'' continued to receive gold awards, creating an opportunity for Koshu to gain international recognition.

In fact, the wines made at Grace are not limited to Koshu. They also make red wine by growing European varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the quality of these red wines has improved markedly since Ayana returned to Japan. Given the fact that she chose Bordeaux as her study abroad destination, one would have thought that her passion or ambition would be in Bordeaux-style red wine, which rivals Chateau Margaux and Cheval Blanc, but that is not the case. and shakes her head.

``It's Koshu. When it comes to Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, the style of best wine has already been established. We also don't have enough data on what will happen if we use lactic acid bacteria (malolactic) fermentation.But we don't know what will happen, so it's a challenge.Koshu is a variety with unlimited growth potential. ”.

Winemaker Ayana Misawa does not rest on her laurels after winning the Gold Award, but is looking beyond. She will continue to explore the potential of Koshu, and her long journey will continue.

→A soulful wine made by winemaker Ayana Misawa (Part 1)

(Titles omitted)

Ayana Misawa
Born as the eldest daughter of Shigekei Misawa, the president of Chuo Winery in Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture. In 2004, she joined Chuo Winery. In 2005 she moved to France, where she graduated from the DUAD (Tasting Course) at the Department of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux and received the qualification of Senior Cultivation and Brewing Technician in Burgundy. She completed a grape physiology course at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and during the off-season in Japan, she studied at wineries in the southern hemisphere, in New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina, where the seasons are reversed. She is currently the Director and Cultivator and Brewer of Chuo Winery. Last year, she co-authored ``Creating Miracles with Japanese Wine'' (Diamond Publishing), which she co-authored with her father, Shigeki.

Grace Wine (Chuo Wine)
https://www.grace-wine.com/our_winery/katunuma/index.html