Katsunuma Winery (Yamanashi, Japan)

Shigeyuki Hirayama, the enologist at KatsunumaKatsunuma, Yamanashi prefecture (Japan)
The Katsunuma winery is a 3-generation-old winery and was founded in 1937. Also known under the name of Aruga Branca, it is owned by Mr Yuji Aruga and makes wine from a 5,5-hectare fully-owned vineyard, plus from 15 hectares of contracted vineyards, and from the additional 10 hectares of cooperative production. Total production is 300 000 bottles. 70% of the harvested grapes at the Katsunuma winery are the famed Koshu grapes, the indigenous Japanese white variety.
This is not the reason why we went to this winery for a visit, but it is interesting to note that several of Katsunuma winery's wines were selected by Japan Airlines for its in-flight first-class service. As an additional sign that more Japanese wines have been reaching a new level of quality on these recent years, a wine buyer in a world-class airline considered several of them could be served routinely to its top-tier clients. For the information, JAL selected 3 Koshu wines, Arega Branca Clareza 2005, Aruga Branca Issehara 2006 and Aruga Branca Pipa 2003.
The winery and its vineyard lies in a mountainous region with the Chichibu mountains [picture on the left] on one side and the southern Alps, and the Fuji Hakone Izu on another. These mountains sort of bring some cool air and, I guess, stop some of the rain before it reaches the area.

The Winery HeadquartersWe meet Mr Yuji Aruga, the owner of the winery, who speaks about the winery and its philosophy. He says that the wine industry in Japan has changed a lot in these recent years : While wine has been produced here for a century or so, it was not an international-class wine from the start. When Japanese began to travel a lot since the 1980s', they began to open themselves to wine consumption. From that moment on, there was an incentive to raise the quality of the domestic wines, plus, Japan like other wine producing countries went through the quality-rather-than-quantity as consumers fine tuned their taste along the years. He says that wine went a long way in Japan but still remains marginal on the whole. It is not yet mainstream for example to drink wine with the meals here. The Japanese government has also promoted domestic incentive programs to push the production but hasn't yet really believed it could be an export product. The recent winning of medals by several Japanese wines in international competitions came by surprise for the Japanese administration which has now to think global. The Japanese government needs to put some order in its policy, which is not easy as in Japan, grape growing depends of the ministry of agriculture while wine depends of the ministry of finance. plus, to complicate the whole thing, until recently (4 years ago), wineries were not allowed to own their vineyard. this strange law had to do with pre-WWII Japan dire economic conditions where people were starving and agricultural land was scarce. After 1945, the Americans initiated what is considered the most successful agriculture reform [Pdf] of the modern history, and the land was given to those who worked it.Katsunuma Winery : the tasting RoomUntil the 1990s' wine consumption in Japan made out less than 1% of all alcoholic beverages. In 2007 it reached 2,7% of the whole, which is a long way even if it seems still marginal. In the early 1% consumption, Japanese wines were making 65% of the consumed wine. Now, Japanese wines make up only 35% of the 2,7% share of wines. The reason of this lower proportion is that the Japanese consumers are fond of prestigious brands and names, and as their purchasing power skyrocketted in the late 1980s' they fully embraced the best of the best of what the world could offer, setting their choice on top-tier wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux.
But now that several Japanese wines were in a position to compete side to side with international quality wines, help began to arrive, and Mr Yuji Aruga was contacted one day by Bernard Magrez, owner of the prestigious Chateau Pape Clement, who wanted to do something with the Katsunuma winery. A partnership was created and a wine bearing the label "Magrez Aruga Koshu" was marketed for the European consumers. The Katsunuma enologist keeps full control over the vinification and Bernard Magrez helps for the distribution and importation in France and elsewhere. This cuvée had an annual production of 1500 bottles.The Koshu-Wines Tasting__ Koshu 2007. Nose : white flowers, elder-tree flowers. This wine is vinified to be drunk early. Stainless-steel vats.
__Kosho Aruga Clareza 2005. Aged on its lees. Nose : intense and refined. About SO2, the norm around here is 150-200 while at Katsunuma winery it is about 90. Speaking of yeasts, they are thinking about making wine with the indigenous yeasts but want to wait that the company is well entrenched first. The wine has a solar mouth, B. notes. Stainless-steel vats here too.
__Koshu Aruga Branca Pipa 2004. [picture on left] Toasted aromas on the nose. Nice golden color in the glass. Koshu wine offers both delicate aromas and a big aromatic potential, as discovered by a research department of the Bordeaux University. To test this potential, they froze the must and then made this wine from it :Very nice wine. The mouth is ample and classy. They got a medal at the Vinalies for this wine. As the process is not conventional, they are going to reduce the yields on the vineyards so as to get the same beautiful result without having to freeze the must.
__Koshu Aruga Branca Issehara 2007. Very aromatic nose. B. feels some juniper tree aromas. Blackcurrant sprouts. I feel also some Sauvignon aromas. B. likes the vividness of this wine. 582 bottles made of this wine only. Issehara is a monopole. The mouth is neat and balanced. Vinified in a vat.
__Koshu Aruga Branca Vinhal Ioshinden 2006. Vinified in a cask. Clear golden color. Woody aromas. That IS a Vine...We had a short walk among the vineyard nearby and had another opportunity to see this very different training system, compared with the ones most commonly found in Europe. On the picture above, you can see a metal pole in the background, it is used to support the weight of the grape-laden canopy in summer. Wires attached atop of the poles hold the canopy all around and help it sustain the weight of the foliage and grapes. Enologist Shigeyuki Hirayama says that this year they've put some compost, but that usually they leave grass on the vineyard.Katsunuma Winery Co. Ltd371 Shimoiwasaki, Katsunuma-choYamanashi, 409-1313 JapanPhone : +81 (0)553 44 0069Fax : +81 (0)553 44 0172kw@wine.or.jpkatsunuma-winery.com

Comments

[Keiko]

I think Aruga Branca Isehara is one of the best Koshu 'daily' wines, but it's difficult to get it in recent years...

[Jim]

Just booked a 3 day trip to this winery and surrounding area for the Obon holiday in August. Looking forward to some tasting!