Jul. 28
It was the second day in Yamagata.
Today, we went around the vineyards in Sagae.
Before that, I visited the wine shop at the York Benimaru Sagae store.
By the way, it seems that Albarino is cultivated in the contract field in Sagae of Niigata Cave d’Occi Winery.
Thanks to a connection, this year’s Chase the Grape will be made from Albarino from Yamagata in a Cave d’Occi.
I joined Mr. Kakegawa, who is the winemaker of Cave d’Occi, and Mr. Kamei and Mr. Konno of Marumatsu Fruits and Vegetables, who have introduced us to grape farmers.
Albarino is a white grape native to north-western Spain.
Albarino has a disease resistant.
Also, its delicate and mineral-rich style make them a great pairing with Japan dishes.
It is one of the most future-expected grape varieties in Japan wineries.
First, I visited Mr. Ego’s vineyard.
Albarino were planted four years ago.
The fields are along the river and are chock-full of stones the size of a fist.
Before planting grapes, they used to grow edamame.
The stones drain well, and nitrogen is fixed in the ground in the cultivation of beans.
It is an ideal field for growing grapes.
Albarino’s unique small fruits and bunches are also small.
Yamagata had long rains in June, but this field is not sick at all.
It looked like you could expect a good harvest.
Commemorative photo with Mr. Kakegawa, Mr. Gonome, and Mr. Naito, who is the winemaker of Chase the Grapes.
Next is Abiko’s Vineyard.
The Albarino in fifth years old.
A small cluster is also unique to Albarino.
This year, there are a little clusters.
The trees are strong and it is difficult to manage the trunk.
Mr. Kakegawa and Mr. Abiko exchanged various opinions on how to grow Albarino.
It seems that the cultivation of Albarino is still developing, but I am looking forward to its future development.
Thank you all for guiding us through the scorching heat today.
Oh yes, the Yamagata specialty “Niku Soba” ate at lunch was the most delicious.
Then I returned to Kaminoyama Onsen Station and had a wine tasting at the Yamagata Wine Cave, which opened at the tourist information center in April this year.
It’s nice to be able to drink local wine while waiting for the Shinkansen Train.
We had Albarino from Woody Farm and Orange Delaware from Oura wine.
Both were very delicious.
Yamagata Albarino and Delaware both look promising.
It was a quick visit to Yamagata, but it was very delicious, fun, and I learned a lot.
Thank you all!
