Sakai Winery
Nanyo, Yamagata

Grapes: Delaware
Type: White
Style: Dry, light-bodied
Colour: Pale gold
Alcohol: 12%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: No
Filtered: No
Serving temperature: 7-10°C
Production: 2,631 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
Aromas of pear, apple, citrus and some lactic nuances. Very fresh and crisp acidity on the palate. Gentle umami-like flavour can be found. Fruity finish with flavours of apricot and pineapple.

Food pairing
Vegetable tempura, chilled tofu topped with smoked mackerel, tomato and shiso, chicken grilled with yuzu kosho, jamón serrano, gambas al ajillo, stir-fried garlic sprouts with oyster sauce

Winemaking
Sakai Winery has been a long-established winery since 1892. The winery uses a traditional non-filter method to slowly and carefully vinify its wines using the power of nature over time and with a lot of care. Cohime-sans 2022 was made using Delaware grown by three local farmers. All of the farmers have long-standing relationships with the winery and their vineyards are located along the mountains. The area has long been a popular grape-growing region due to its good drainage and sunlight, and the rising air flows that occur at the edge of the basin, which allow winds to blow through the area (Yamagata Prefecture accounts for nearly half of its cultivated area in Japan). The harvested Delaware were destemmed, crushed and put into stainless steel tanks. Fermentation with wild yeasts occurred. The wine was then racked off the lees after about three weeks. The wine was left in stainless steel tanks for six months before bottling. No filtration, no sulphites added.

In 2022, budburst started early in early May due to the early spring snow thaw and mild weather. The dry weather during May and June continued as in previous years, resulting in good growth. During the rainy season, rainfall and the number of days were low and disease infections remained low until harvest. Rain in August and September caused cracking damage, mainly to table grapes, but less damage to late-ripening vinification grapes. Despite poor colouration, sugar levels were similar to normal, acidity was slightly high, ripe rot was low, seeds were small and the grapes had firm flesh. Yields were lower than in previous years.

‘Cohime’ is the old local name for Delaware. ‘sans’ is a combination of the French term ‘Sans Soufre’, meaning sulphite-free, and the common Japanese honorific ‘-san’ (a postfix to a person's name, etc., to show light respect).

Nutrition Facts per 100ml
Energy: 73 kcal
Fat: 0 g
 - Saturates: 0 g
Carbohydrate: 2.0 g
 - Sugar: 2.0 g
Protein: 0.1 g
Salt: 0g