Late Harvest Koshu from Yamanashi, Japan
Vintage: 2018
Volume:750ml
 
Toshikazu Ikeda is a well-known winemaker with a passion for research, and has even been invited to teacha lot of wineries. He is also a consultant winemaker for another winery in the town of Katsunuma, helping and guiding them in their winemaking. Ikeda has done almost everything it can to try and has arrived at a natural winemaking style that is not overly technical. The white wines are made from the Koshu grape, a local variety indigenous to Japan, His Koshu are made from free-run juice (the part of the juice that flows out naturally, without pressurising it) and are not fermented at unreasonably low temperatures.
 
Wine made from late-harvest Koshu grapes.
It has a gentle aroma reminiscent of ripe citrus fruits from the Koshu grape, and a fresh, honey-like sweetness and acidity in harmony with a refreshing taste. Although described as Late Harvest, the sweetness is comparable to German Spatelese, with a semi-sweet finish. It is a bright wine that retains the phenolic-derived bitterness and well-defined acidity of the Koshu grape.

It goes well with Japanese dishes with Dashi and chirashi-zushi. After fermentation in oak barrels, the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks, which gives it a good richness and freshness that is not overly oaky.