Domaine Hide
Minami-Alps, Yamanashi

Grapes: Koshu
Type: Orange
Style: Dry, light-bodied
Colour: Medium copper
Alcohol: 9%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: No
Filtered: No
Serving temperature: 7-16°C
Production: 440 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
Refreshing aroma of pineapple, lemon and sweetness of nutmeg. Also a few notes of banana and babble gum from carbonic maceration. On the palate, good tannin and clean acidity with long umami flavour.  Enjoy it well chilled and then gradually increase the temperature.

Food pairing
Japanese hot pot, grilled fish fillet pickled in sweet white miso (Saikyo-yaki), sesame tofu, deep-fried aubergine in Japanese broth, grilled shiitake, yakitori, kushi-age, grilled duck with Japanese leek, deep-fried oysters, chicken ham with curry spice 

Winemaking  
Koshu is a white wine grape indigenous to Japan with a history of more than 1,000 years; in 2010 it was registered as the first Japanese variety with the OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du vin). Its ancestors originated in Europe. It arrived in Japan via the Silk Road with the East-West trade. It is currently cultivated mainly in Yamanashi Prefecture. It is characterised by its reddish-purple skin and ample juice. Domaine Hide started out as a winery growing only black grapes, but the beauty of the peach-coloured Koshu grape captivated them and they are now growing 40 a of Koshu.

Whole bunches of the grapes were crushed by foot (wearing a sanitary jacket) after 20 days of carbonic maceration with wild yeasts. The wine was matured in old French oak barrels (225 and 228 litres) for just under 4 months. Sur lie in bottle as a finishing touch to extract flavour. No sulphites, no fining, no filtration. Only 440 bottles were produced and only 24 were exported to the Netherlands! A very precious wine.